The Internet's Own Boy: The Story of Aaron Swartz (2014) • Hacker News Board

Re: The Internet's Own Boy: The Story of Aaron Swartz (2014)

#11

Post by gonehome » Mon, Jan 11, 2021, 11:36 PM UTC

One thing that bothered me about this documentary were his interviews on Russia Today. He didn't understand the extent to which he was being used by foreign adversaries to push a narrative favorable to them.

That doesn't mean his arguments are wrong, but they're in a quite misleading context.

If you go on RT you should do it like Yascha Mounk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cucX1IO78lM

In hindsight, wikileaks was more an arm of Russian propaganda than Aaron understood.

(Full comment from the other thread, just got buried: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25734526)

(meta: To those downvoting, the irony is if Aaron had lived to see today's political insanity - I suspect he would have regretted those interviews too. He seemed pretty introspective and thoughtful about politics.)

Re: The Internet's Own Boy: The Story of Aaron Swartz (2014)

#12

Post by MeinBlutIstBlau » Mon, Jan 11, 2021, 11:36 PM UTC

Just because you're a prodigy doesn't make you exempt from the rules that exist. On the scale of injustices, what he did is hardly an offense worthwhile by illegitimate means. He should've just gone about it the way the system is devised. Nobody likes it. But being noble doesn't get you anywhere nowadays.

Re: The Internet's Own Boy: The Story of Aaron Swartz (2014)

#13

Post by breck » Mon, Jan 11, 2021, 11:44 PM UTC

MeinBlutIstBlau wrote: post #12

Just because you're a prodigy doesn't make you exempt from the rules that exist. On the scale of injustices, what he did is hardly an offense worthwhile by illegitimate means. He should've just gone about it the way the system is devised. Nobody likes it. But being noble doesn't get you anywhere nowadays.

> But being noble doesn't get you anywhere nowadays.

It never did. You do it for the people that come after you.

Re: The Internet's Own Boy: The Story of Aaron Swartz (2014)

#14

Post by pm90 » Mon, Jan 11, 2021, 11:45 PM UTC

MeinBlutIstBlau wrote: post #12

Just because you're a prodigy doesn't make you exempt from the rules that exist. On the scale of injustices, what he did is hardly an offense worthwhile by illegitimate means. He should've just gone about it the way the system is devised. Nobody likes it. But being noble doesn't get you anywhere nowadays.

Being noble is only possible when you have power. When you know the right people, breaking the law like he did can be shrugged of as an ideological protest.

His prosecution shows just how flawed the Criminal Justice system is in the US. Harsh laws, selectively applied and the weakest get the harshest sentences.

Re: The Internet's Own Boy: The Story of Aaron Swartz (2014)

#15

Post by dang » Mon, Jan 11, 2021, 11:46 PM UTC

3 months ago: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24678554

Related and current: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25731566

Re: The Internet's Own Boy: The Story of Aaron Swartz (2014)

#16

Post by kichimi » Mon, Jan 11, 2021, 11:48 PM UTC

MeinBlutIstBlau wrote: post #12

Just because you're a prodigy doesn't make you exempt from the rules that exist. On the scale of injustices, what he did is hardly an offense worthwhile by illegitimate means. He should've just gone about it the way the system is devised. Nobody likes it. But being noble doesn't get you anywhere nowadays.

What he did was barely a criminal offense, breaking terms of service should not warrant jail time. If it does then we are ALL guilty of the same "crimes" as Swartz, including you.

Re: The Internet's Own Boy: The Story of Aaron Swartz (2014)

#17

Post by MeinBlutIstBlau » Tue, Jan 12, 2021, 1:22 AM UTC

breck wrote: post #13

MeinBlutIstBlau wrote: post #12

Just because you're a prodigy doesn't make you exempt from the rules that exist. On the scale of injustices, what he did is hardly an offense worthwhile by illegitimate means. He should've just gone about it the way the system is devised. Nobody likes it. But being noble doesn't get you anywhere nowadays.

> But being noble doesn't get you anywhere nowadays. It never did. You do it for the people that come after you.

Doing anything for the "greater good" doesn't get you anything besides being a folk hero. There are very few if any folk heroes that ever "triumphed" over the state.

Re: The Internet's Own Boy: The Story of Aaron Swartz (2014)

#18

Post by environment » Tue, Jan 12, 2021, 2:10 AM UTC

Aaron is dead. Wanderers in this crazy world, we have lost a mentor, a wise elder. Hackers for right, we are one down, we have lost one of our own. Nurturers, carers, listeners, feeders, parents all, we have lost a child. Let us all weep.

-Sir Tim Berners-Lee, January 11, 2013

Re: The Internet's Own Boy: The Story of Aaron Swartz (2014)

#19

Post by antifreeze0 » Tue, Jan 12, 2021, 2:20 AM UTC

gonehome wrote: post #11

One thing that bothered me about this documentary were his interviews on Russia Today. He didn't understand the extent to which he was being used by foreign adversaries to push a narrative favorable to them. That doesn't mean his arguments are wrong, but they're in a quite misleading context. If you go on RT you should do it like Yascha Mounk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cucX1IO78lM In hindsight, wikileaks was mo…

No, wikileaks was/is not Russian propaganda. Just because you don’t agree with the information it doesn’t make it false. Wikileaks did nothing more then dump emails for anyone to sort through during the 2016 election. Aaron was against big tech censoring information and I remember HN supported him in those views now you all look the other way because it doesn’t fit the narrative you like. If Aaron was still around you would be against him and try to de platform him for being against big corporations.

Edit: Grammar.