Akkam’s Razor

No, a chilling effect has nothing to do with global warming. What it does have to do with is the stifling of creativity and the suppression of free speech.

If you are wondering what I mean, some example would be the temerity of broadcasters after Janet Jackson nipplegate debacle, or the passive nature of the press after memogate (although it is nothing new), the “mandate” that the Christian Right have earned from their election of Dubya, or the prosecution of file-traders by the RIAA. All of these events have caused a change in the behaviors of people due to the consequences of each event. Sometimes those consequences affect a small subset; sometimes they effect that industry, and sometimes they affect the culture at large.

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