Piracy

Let's talk about the internet. The internet is full of all sorts of good and bad things, but one of the most controversial things online is piracy. Once the internet was an easily accessible means of data transfer, people learned that they could share their music with friends. That way only one of them would have to buy a CD, and they could all listen.

This is illegal, but should it be?
Let's talk about it.

On the bad side:
-It lessens profits for artists.
-It encourages other forms of piracy and theft.
-It gives the government another reason to monitor internet usage and content viewing.

On the good side:
-It promotes freedom and sharing.
-It allows fans to "try before they buy"
-It gives the MPAA more to bitch and whine about.

The MPAA

So, it's really your choice, whether it should be illegal, and your choice whether to pirate or buy or both.

I say be free, but I also say support the artists you think deserve your money.

Sorry for the short post, but I guess that'll be all for now.  Back next week.

Dear Internet: Lolita is a fashion, not a fetish

Dear inhabitants of the internet,

I'm sorry to inform you but you have been horribly misinformed on what Lolita is, and by Lolita I mean the fashion style.

Like this example of real Lolita

Lolita is a Japanese fashion trend that has become popular not only in Japan but in the western pop culture in the past couple of years. The style is based on Victorian fashion ideals: Show as little skin as possible. This entitles that real Lolita follows these guidelines; long sleeved dresses that reach knee-length and a high collar, gloves, an coat and hat in some instances and tights. And you better be wearing a petticoat.

However, when most people think Lolita they think its a sex fetish. Why? The style shares the same name of a certain Russian novel written by Vladimir Nabokov, along with the name of one of the main characters in that novel: a young girl named Lolita who the main character of the book becomes sexually obsessed with. Not only is the girl 12 years old but she goes along with the main characters fetish. It makes sense that Lolita is a bad name to associate with obviously.

But despite sharing a name, that is the only resemblance between the two. The fashion style is about modesty, not a weird fetish. In the end however, few people know this as pop culture has made it so that the terms Lolita and Loli refer to sexually attractive young women and allows for people to label outfits that are provocative with the term, despite the fact that they are nothing alike.

In the end, you can't really do much about the internet. But still, please respect real Lolita. It's not all that bad.

Obligatory Introductory Post From The Man Unborn

Hello, dear readers.

  I greet you with open arms and a welcoming heart, unless of course you're a conservative, in which case

Well, hopefully you get the idea.

What you see here is a blog from a couple of people just trying to get the point across to our own generation that we need help. Along with such posts, we shall provide something uplifting/good/anti-conservative. Hopefully we'll get around to posting once a week each. I personally have no idea where this will go, but I will enjoy seeing it grow, like murder rates in Chicago.

A few things to note:
-If you're here, and you troll the comments, /b/ cannot protect you.
-I love the culture and people of /b/, so please, show a little respect.
-George "Dubya" Bush was an idiot, and if you think otherwise, please leave now, and refrain from reproduction.

a little less fight and a little more spark

Welcome to the blog. :)

This is Paper Clip, the co-author of this sometimes not-so-humble blog. Just to give you an idea of what I'm about I am a fan of all things music, art, fashion, open-minded, unique and activist. I consider myself a bit of a philosopher with a knack for observing details and asking questions. Some of my common thought topics include Invisible Children, LOOKBOOK.nu, world events, music (classic and new), art (did someone say Deviantart?), groups that promote happiness ("It Gets Better" - look it up), movies, etc.

All in all, I try and take life in stride and hopefully this blog will be another way to share my view of the world and maybe educate a couple of people along the way. Hope everyone enjoys the blog and to wrap everything up, I'm excited to start writing for all you guys.

-Paper Clip