America is a pretty interesting place. It is not uncommon for us, as the educated public, to feel certain feelings of dissent for how our nation is run. From the marginalized conspiracy theorist who makes anti-government statements in wild opposition to the 'accepted norms', to the ultra-conservative who thinks our country spends too much time worrying about minorities or homosexuals, and not enough time espousing good Christian values, and at almost every strata in between, we Americans spend a whole lot of time questioning the judgement of our leaders. And there are provisions within the government itself that ensure that we have the right, inalienable and protected, to voice our dissent. That's a pretty amazing thing, if one steps back and contemplates it.
And even moreso than television or radio, it is the user-generated nature of the internet that makes it an especially important aspect of freedom of speech. I mean, basic cable is not a basic human right. That isn't really up for debate. But the internet represents so much more than entertainment, that it cannot be classified alongside television or radio. The blogosphere gives a voice to everyone who can touch it, and is very difficult to patrol or censor in any meaningful way (just look at the trouble between Google and China). It is with this basic freedom of speech in mind that I say yes, everyone deserves internet access, as clearly as they need access to other basic human rights.
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Andrew,
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with your post, I couldn't say it in a better way. In addition to the aspect of human rights and the Internet, go back to what Noam Chomsky was hinting at. If there is any sort of control over the internet (as you said not just entertainment, but pertinent information) this would simply be information control, exactly what authoritarians and dictators are looking for. There are many places throughout the world where people remain illiterate and unable to write, and are easily controlled by those that do. The right to internet access should indeed be a human right, because a lot of harm can be potentially done if free flow of information is banned.