
Stephen Colbert urged to cancel speech for RSA - justin66
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/jan/10/stephen-colbert-nsa-linked-privacy-firm-rsa
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spellboots
It would be completely out of character for him to pull out of the speech -
far better for him to go along and mock them. I for one would love to see
that.

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dhughes
Yes I agree let him speak there.

It's like the reverse incidents where students at some universities demand
controversial speakers not be allowed to speak at their university as if
censoring a speech is a victory.

Let people speak and if what they say is wrong then debate it to show what's
wrong don't hide it or hide from it.

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dalke
Not providing a platform for someone else's speech is not the same as
censoring someone else's speech. All the more so if one's tuition is partially
paying for that speech and there are many other roughly equivalently effective
venues for the speaker.

I wish to give a talk about how space aliens built the Brooklyn Bridge using
telekinetic herring, and give the talk in your kitchen. If you neither grant
permission nor tell me where you live then obviously you have something to
hide and wish to censure my speech.

~~~
testrun
I would love to hear it.

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dalke
If you don't give me the $2,000 in travel fees to reach you then you are
suppressing the free speech rights of both me and my herring.

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testrun
You need to wait a bit, just bought a honey bee. Will sell honey and raking in
the millions. This is my eco-friendly MVP. If that does not work we pivot with
your herring. And make fish. While listening to your free speech and all.

I think herring is a fish.

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dalke
Yes, herring is the honey bee of the seas. That's why they are so useful when
building a bridge.

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justin66
My take: I'd kind of like for him to give that speech. Keeping in mind his
performance at the White House Correspondent's Dinner:

[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U7FTF4Oz4dI](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U7FTF4Oz4dI)

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avbor
Agreed. I feel people often forget that Stephen Colbert is a character, not
the actual person.

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maxerickson
How does that factor in here?

I would say the comic showed up in Washington, not the character.

(I would also say that the character is slowing vanishing, because it doesn't
work as well when everybody is in on it. A lot of times it holds back his
interviews, playing the idiot foil limits the questions he can ask.)

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justin66
I'm not a habitual watcher of his show but it seems to me like he's pretty
good about knowing when to turn it off, or just turn it down a bit. One
interview on his show where I remember him being very close to completely
straight was with an astronaut who had walked on the moon, which I feel
indicates that his priorities are about right.

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ck2
Have you seen the speech he gave Bush? Right in front of Bush?

I most certainly want him to speak to RSA.

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yeukhon
Question is: why would he be speaking at RSA conference.

Imagine him speaking at PyCon closing. Why would he go there? It just makes
the conference more like high school / college graduation where you invite
someone interesting/outstanding to talk about what it means to be successful
person. Do we need someone else to tell us how terrible X is doing? What
public policy is bad? How to become a successful person in the industry? I
mean come on... I reserve my conservatism here. If someone else needs to mock
RSA / Python / Ruby whatnot, let someone else in the tech community do it?

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georgemcbay
"why would he be speaking at RSA conference."

Well, let's say you've got an extra 10 million dollars laying around after
selling out your customers, you gotta use it on _something_...

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hyperbovine
It's that $10 million that makes me skeptical that he'll be speaking
truthiness to power at this event. The WHCA was one thing but i suspect he's
raking it on the private lecture circuit like everyone else.

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ilaksh
Shh.. If we don't publicize this too much he might actually get to make his
speech. But I think after this publicity RSA will probably figure out who
Colbert _actually_ is and what he stands for and cancel it.

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migrantgeek
I don't like the idea of boycotting a speaking gig. If you don't agree with
what RSA is doing, isn't it best to keep a dialog going?

If we only allow those who agree with us to speak to the choir, they'll be a
series of different choirs never speaking to each other.

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wreegab
> isn't it best to keep a dialog going

Don't be silly, RSA is not interested in honest dialog. Have you seen the
press release? It's nice to be for virtue but play pretend virtue is not
virtue.

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migrantgeek
> RSA is not interested in honest dialog

I'm sure some of their 1300+ employees are interested in honest dialog.

In any case, what's your suggestion for improving the situation?

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moomin
Personally, I think capitalism is a pretty good solution to that one. Boycott
them, put them out of business, let them serve as a warning to the next bunch
of people who consider screwing over the customers under the counter.

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mixmastamyk
Sorry, meant to hit the up arrow, but hit down by mistake. Why can't votes be
changed? :/

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moocowduckquack
I hope he goes. I might be wide of the mark, but my guess would be that RSA
have probably bit themselves by booking Colbert at this point in time.

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Demiurge
I pray to god if he gives the speech, it is filmed and made public.

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sporkologist
If he cancels, I'd understand.

If he decides to do it, it will be awesome.

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gwhilts
Doesn't anyone remember the White House Correspondent Assoc. dinner where he
ripped both Bush and the lily-livered press new ones? I for one can't wait to
see what he says to these guys.

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benched
This is like a group of Greeks trying to persuade Odysseus to boycott Troy by
canceling delivery of the Trojan Horse.

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elwell
This comparison is 3000 years outdated. I don't even care to try to understand
it

