The Internet’s Own Boy: I thought this would be a snooze fest as soon as I saw this assignment. I was so wrong I cried during this film. I want to thank you, professor Seslow. This movie inspired me to do what I think is my life’s work. Aaron is what I believe is a unitarian universalist. I think he developed this from his role models. Also, I think the inventor of the internet, Tim Berners Lee, hadn’t given the internet for free (THANK YOU TIM), we would still be in the dark ages. Aaron knew well before his time. He wanted to be apart of something big. Something worth dying for the ability to access information. He exposed corruption, and although there is a thin line between what is legal and illegal, hearing his story is not uncommon. The government has a problem with people who invoke change. COINTELPRO was the first organization I thought of when I watched this film. It was an agency used to discredit and derail political organization who wanted civil rights. Used to target and assassinate people like MLK  and many Black Panthers. Aaron knew that there was so much corruption. I hate JSTOR for being so careless to leave the doors open in the first place for Aaron to download the files, but we have all done this without the fear of being arrested.

My favorite quote, “Imperfection is beauty, madness is genius ” Aaron was an intellect who wanted to make a difference at a young age that caused his social skills to be premature because he was never close to children his age. He hated the teachers who taught him and education as an institution. His desire to learn and teach others is very inspirational to me. The social aspects of him seem not to match his capabilities. He got himself fired by not showing up to work, and he never likes the feeling of being restricted. The idea that his life would be over because he couldn’t use a computer and being a felon was a blow to him. The label of the criminal would be a restriction to Aaron to a particular lifestyle. Unable to vote, financial freedom, his trial left him in debt. Not because he did anything wrong but to become a deterrent.

Aaron is the foundation of the Internet rights movement. The right to access information, both public and private, for free.

 

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