Happy Slapping

So the French are considering a law to stop what they call “happy slapping.” It prohibits the filming and posting on the internet videos of real, actual violence, such as fights and police brutality. This type of law is worrisome for a few different reasons. First, France is not China, and China shouldn’t even be like China, so this type of move totalitarian effort by a governing body needn’t be taken lightly. I do not condone the use of violence and certainly frown upon the posting of it on the internet for humiliating purposes, but what it does is protects the rights of citizens and provides useful evidence for the public to make personal and informed judgments. Secondly, where does it end? If the government looks to control the information citizens see, hear, or can even talk about, then that’s like putting the car in reverse while going 65 on I-95. I’ve never tried it but I know we all have considered throwing that gear shift to that red ‘R’ while sitting in the passenger seat of our friend’s ’82 VW Rabbit and I can’t imagine it would be good for the transmission. It is the age old question of who is going to police the police. James Madison felt very strongly about a system of checks and balances and it should be citizens’ right to expose brutality by police or even other citizens in an effort to curtail unnecessary violence in the future. If the government can watch us with cameras, wire taps, and/or surveillance, then we should be able to do the same in the public realm. Lastly, restricting the posting of such videos on the un-policed internet is just another segment of the ongoing debate on internet regulation. As grey as an un-selectable link, the internet has become a virtual community without law or governance, but with all the dangers. Where do we draw the line between freedom/privacy and control/safety? By the time regulations are place by states or the national government, technology has changed and moved on.