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quade

What Corporate Cowardice Looks Like

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Hmmm. Interesting. Is there another terrorist organization that targets political speech by either trying to prevent it by delaying the organization's activities or subjecting the speaker to additional scrutiny from the government for said speech activities?

Recall that torture itself is defined as psychological suffering. Terrorism is actions used to strike fear into opposition. Yes, indeed, the IRS does just that. "Hey, I got a letter from the IRS!" Not exactly a happy statement most of the time.



Your point would be better served if you didn't have to stretch definitions to the breaking point in order to make it.

- Dan G

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JerryBaumchen

Hi Paul,

Re: Corporate Cowardice

Something in a different vein yet about freedom of speech: http://www.oregonlive.com/window-shop/index.ssf/2014/12/could_fired_employee_sue_nords.html#incart_more_business

Jerry Baumchen



I generally agree with Attorney Shahiri's analysis as quoted in the article.
(The point where I disagree with her is that, to my legal analysis, mere advocacy of violence, without more, is also constitutionally protected speech; I disagree with her analogizing it to yelling "fire!" in a crowded theater.)

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quade

And now Sony has completely caved. Not like that had a lot of choices since virtually all the theater chains decided to back out of the release, but holy crap.

http://variety.com/2014/film/news/sony-cancels-theatrical-release-for-the-interview-on-christmas-1201382032/



They should use CGI to change Kim Jong Un into the Prophet Muhammad before releasing. :P
Stupidity if left untreated is self-correcting
If ya can't be good, look good, if that fails, make 'em laugh.

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So is that caving for good? Or just delaying the release? 'Cause if it's caving for good how funny would it be if Sony "leaked" the film to all the pirating websites. Serious exposure for the movie and a 'fuck you' to the hackers.

Heck, they could even blame the hackers for the leak and use that as an excuse to tell them to get stuffed the next time it happens.
“That which can be asserted without evidence, can be dismissed without evidence.”

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quade

***How in the hell did we get here in just four posts?!??!?!? :S



Pretty simple really. Rush made a ridiculous, non sequitur, comment. Hilarity ensued.

Sorry
My comment was spot on!
Nothing new
Time to move on
"America will never be destroyed from the outside,
if we falter and lose our freedoms,
it will be because we destroyed ourselves."
Abraham Lincoln

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Scathing article from an interview with a security professional:

http://motherboard.vice.com/read/reaction-to-the-sony-hack-is-beyond-the-realm-of-stupid

"Literally, we are in the realm of beyond stupid with this"
"There are only three things of value: younger women, faster airplanes, and bigger crocodiles" - Arthur Jones.

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ryoder

Scathing article from an interview with a security professional:

http://motherboard.vice.com/read/reaction-to-the-sony-hack-is-beyond-the-realm-of-stupid

"Literally, we are in the realm of beyond stupid with this"



"We have just communicated to any would-be attacker that we will do whatever they want."

^ this is why I consider it a mistake to cancel the opening of the movie
You can't be drunk all day if you don't start early!

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They should use CGI to change Kim Jong Un into the Prophet Muhammad before releasing.



Or better yet President Bush or Cheney or Obama. Hey it is just freedom of speech, right? Think people in the gov would have a different take if it was about killing our leaders?

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CygnusX-1


Or better yet President Bush or Cheney or Obama. Hey it is just freedom of speech, right? Think people in the gov would have a different take if it was about killing our leaders?



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_of_a_President_%282006_film%29
"There are only three things of value: younger women, faster airplanes, and bigger crocodiles" - Arthur Jones.

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[Reply]Or better yet President Bush or Cheney or Obama. Hey it is just freedom of speech, right? Think people in the gov would have a different take if it was about killing our leaders?



If it was Oliver Stone doing the film would the reaction be different?


My wife is hotter than your wife.

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tonyhays

So is that caving for good? Or just delaying the release?



The current line out of Sony is they will not release the film in any way, shape, or form. No on demand, not DVD, nothing.

Now, it's possible that's simply what they're publicly saying until this blows over, but it sends the wrong message.
quade -
The World's Most Boring Skydiver

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quade

***So is that caving for good? Or just delaying the release?



The current line out of Sony is they will not release the film in any way, shape, or form. No on demand, not DVD, nothing.

Now, it's possible that's simply what they're publicly saying until this blows over, but it sends the wrong message.

There are a couple of other ways of looking at this. It's possible that the film can be released at a later time once Sony decides it will be more profitable. It's also possible that the hackers have told Sony, "if you like what we've put out so far, just wait until you see what else we have."

In a sense, Sony may simply be yielding to extortion. We don't know.


My wife is hotter than your wife.

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And the cowardice is now hitting movie studios not even involved.

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Paramount pulls screenings of 'Team America: World Police,' theaters say

Paramount Pictures has put the kibosh on screenings of its 2004 North Korea-themed comedy "Team America: World Police," according to movie theaters in Cleveland and Atlanta.

David Huffman, director of marketing at Cleveland Cinemas, told The Times that Paramount contacted the theater chain and said "Team America" had been pulled from release. The Capitol Theatre had booked the film in October as part of a midnight screening series in June, Huffman said.



Source: http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/moviesnow/la-et-mn-team-america-to-screen-in-place-of-the-interview-at-texas-theater-20141218-story.html

This is ridiculous. I never thought we'd ever see the day in the US where our First Amendment rights were controlled by a foreign government.
quade -
The World's Most Boring Skydiver

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quade

And the cowardice is now hitting movie studios not even involved.

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Paramount pulls screenings of 'Team America: World Police,' theaters say

Paramount Pictures has put the kibosh on screenings of its 2004 North Korea-themed comedy "Team America: World Police," according to movie theaters in Cleveland and Atlanta.

David Huffman, director of marketing at Cleveland Cinemas, told The Times that Paramount contacted the theater chain and said "Team America" had been pulled from release. The Capitol Theatre had booked the film in October as part of a midnight screening series in June, Huffman said.



Source: http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/moviesnow/la-et-mn-team-america-to-screen-in-place-of-the-interview-at-texas-theater-20141218-story.html

This is ridiculous. I never thought we'd ever see the day in the US where our First Amendment rights were controlled by a foreign government.



What does a corporate decision have to to with first amendment rights?

I don't agree with the decision, but it has absolutely zilch to do with your constitution or freedom of speech.

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SkyDekker

I don't agree with the decision, but it has absolutely zilch to do with your constitution or freedom of speech.



An outside entity was able to do millions of dollars worth of damage to a corporation over a creative work and when push came to shove the corporation withdrew the creative work from view.

That is pretty much the definition of a loss of freedom of speech. You're right in that it wasn't our government, but it was absolutely kowtowing to another one. One that should carry no sway whatsoever in the dissemination of creative works in the US.

This has cascaded into other companies now withdrawing similar works.

Here's the thing that has me so upset. These companies have previously stood shielded behind the protection of the First Amendment and the US's protection in order to be highly profitable at what they do.

When the opportunity came for them to show they really stood for freedom of expression, they caved.

That might be meaningless to you and I can even understand that if you've never worked in a field that requires freedom of expression in order to exist, but to me it's a betrayal of the most basic thing there is; the ability to express yourself freely.

It has everything to do with our Constitution and freedom of speech. We do not answer to other countries. Period.

Some people worry about Shira law being introduced into the US and what effect that might have. I worry about this.
quade -
The World's Most Boring Skydiver

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That might be meaningless to you and I can even understand that if you've never worked in a field that requires freedom of expression in order to exist, but to me it's a betrayal of the most basic thing there is; the ability to express yourself freely.



Bullshit. The movie has been made, the expression has taken place.

So far it appears what they have lost is the ability to make lots of money from it. Though that may change in the future.

And it wasn't Sony really, it was the movie theatres who caved and decided not to show it. Probably on the advice of their lawyers.

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