Always great to hear from Duff, especially when he 100% does not understand the issue and only reacts because it is a personal issue to him within his industry.
Just to be clear, true music fans are not upset about SOPA and PIPA because it makes it harder to download music. They are mad about it because it’s unconstitutional, and another chipping away at our freedoms as United States citizens.
Let’s put it all in perspective here. If a kid in a school spits in the face of another kid, we don’t shut down the school. We shut down the kid who’s actions call for a reaction. The solution is so very easy and clear. Jail time, not fines, for offenders. If a site goes up that is willingly distributing copywritten music, the web host is notified and has 30 days to have it removed. At the same time, notice to the person with the blog is sent, and they can either remove it immediately or have their information turned over to the authorities. If there isn’t compliance, then criminal charges with a mandatory minimum of 5 years of hard time should be thrown at them. You watch how quickly that would end things.
As for Duff, maybe it’s time you look at the whole picture of things before spouting off like some intellectual instead of the former dopesick junkie that found success through music. I believe GNR were very public about their drug use in the 80s…at the same time the “war on drugs” was going on. So, if Duff ever shared a joint with someone (which he did), ever shared a line of coke with someone (which he did), or ever did anything more than that, my argument would be that he contributed to the continuation of illegal activity and the spreading of that activity that the government was actively fighting against. So, he should have been given the maximum sentence for his offenses, which at the time I believe would have been 5-10 years. Add to that how his portrayal of drug use being cool was, and I think he’s no different in the drug world than megaupload was in the piracy world.
Where am I going with this? Simple. I’m all for artists getting paid, and I’m all for those that purposely damage the band’s ability to survive by blatantly posting every album that comes out on the net to be shut down and prosecuted. I’m not willing to give up any of my freedoms to the government, or the entertainment industry, because they can’t police the problem that, ultimately, effects their line of work only. Here’s a news flash Duff - we enjoy what you do, but it’s not that important in the grand scheme of things. People downloading music really isn’t very important to most people…except those in the industry. It’s certainly not as important as the laws and freedoms we have as citizens; freedoms I was actively protecting when you were making millions off your music while living the rest of your day in an outwardly illegal and never prosecuted way.
Before you call everyone against SOPA and PIPA lawless people that don’t care about the laws being broken, maybe you should examine your own life a bit more thoroughly.
