Comment by sepositus
4 months ago
Just to play devil's advocate, the relationship between the EU and the US compared to North Korea is not at all similar. I think that's why this is listed as an option:
> A statement from the US Department of State that it does not believe the law applies to American entities and a commitment to defend them against it.
The UK is not a part of the EU.
I also recognize the potential for legal action or criminal charges. Those are great opportunities to fight these tyrants in one of the few battlefields available to us.
As Martin Luther King, Jr. said:
"I submit that an individual who breaks a law that conscience tells him is unjust, and willingly accepts the penalty by staying in jail to arouse the conscience of the community over its injustice, is in reality expressing the very highest respect for law."
Now, it may be that Lobsters simply doesn't have the highest respect for the law, or perhaps they value their community's survival over leading by principle and securing a bright future for posterity. Short-sighted thinking, but I understand the motivation.
My comment is a call for people to consider their priorities with respect to the world we leave behind us. Taking the easy way out and avoiding conflict with an encroaching global authoritarian movement is not going to fix anything, and contributes toward an ever-darker future.
This is not a jab at Lobster, and I am glad to see them at least trying something before simply geoblocking the UK. But what if geoblocking isn't enough? What if knowing a VPN-enabled user is from the UK but not banning them is still grounds for a lawsuit or criminal charges?[0] What if more countries join in?
[0] This leads to the ironic outcome that the UK becomes less represented in the next generation of online discourse and slides further into backwater obscurity, despite being home to such rich culture and academia.
> The UK is not a part of the EU.
Ah, yes, my American brain made the association too easily. Regardless, it doesn't alter my point much, in that the US/UK relationship is still more friendly than North Korea. Of course, it may not stay that way.
> Now, it may be that Lobsters simply doesn't have the highest respect for the law, or perhaps they value their community's survival over leading by principle and securing a bright future for posterity. Short-sighted thinking, but I understand the motivation.
This argument seems to dismiss the fact that the original thread started with a statement that they do not have the financial stability to challenge such a law. Sure, they could go principally bankrupt, but what effect would such a small fry really have in the global geopolitical environment? I just don't think they have a stage that's anything close to the size of MLK's.
Yeah, regarding small forums, it only works if everyone participates at once. This situation is a classic prisoner's dilemma.