[kFW] Disney cartoon lambasts evil music-sharing

[Rupert Baines <rupert@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Amusingly topical - forwarded from el Reg & newsforge



Disney cartoon lambasts evil music-sharing
By Tina Gasperson, NewsForge.com
Posted: 23/10/2001 at 04:54 GMT


The Disney Channel cartoon series The Proud Family aired an episode on
October 5 entitled EZ Jackster . In the storyline, EZ Jackster is a
Napster-like site, and the show's little heroines get addicted to the
service and play a part in the downfall of the music industry. Disney is one
of the backers of the SSSCA legislation that is scheduled for a hearing
before Congress this week. 

The TV summary site, TV Tome, shows this synopsis of the episode in
question: 

"After Penny spends $125 on CDs with her five-cent salary, she meets a boy,
Mega, who tells her about a napster-like website he made called EZ Jackster.
All weekend she was sitting at the computer, downloading music from EZ
Jackster. Finally, Dijonay comes over and asks what she was doing over the
weekend. Penny asks Dijonay if she can keep a secret, knowing that she
can't. Penny tells Dijonay to tell everyone she knows about EZ Jackster. 

"Her telling everybody about EZ Jackster has a ripple-effect all around the
world. From India to Africa to Suga Mama! But rap singer, Sir Paid-A-Lot is
threatened by this because he got a five-cents salary instead of his
million-dollar salary. But suddenly, after wrestling, the news interrupted
the next program telling about EZ Jackster. It shows a house of where the EZ
Jackster-spreader lives. Oscar comments how ugly the house is, not realizing
it was their house. 

Trudy is mad at Penny for stealing music so she takes away her computer.
Later, Penny gets a call from Mega, asking if she is still using EZ
Jackster. Will Penny listen to her parents?" 

A post forwarded to the Linux-Elitists mailing list from one of the show's
viewers gave the rest of the details about the decidedly pro-SSSCA plot: 

1. Girl working at her antiquated computer her dad gave her in her room. 

2. Mystery guy (cool hip hop looking dude in black) shows up at her window
and supplies her with an up to date computer, takes her into "the Matrix and
shows her a web area called Free Jackster where she can get all the music
she could ever want FOR FREE, 

3. The girl asks if this is illegal and mystery guy explains it is our
birthright to have free music, creativity should not have a price 

4. Girl gets addicted to collecting free music, her obsession leads to
telling all her friends. soon the site is getting millions of hits from kids
to grandmothers. 

5. Next scene at the The Wizard Record Label board room where "Sir Paid
Alot" enters to complain his royalty check was only five cents. This alerts
The Wizard (head of the label) that there is a retail problem he needs to
look into. 

6. Teen Girl's house is surrounded that night by police and press and she is
arrested for illegal downloads, gets a warning,. The news makes it clear
that millions of people can't be stopped, Parents take computer away from
girl and explain why free downloads is STEALING - kind of an abridged
explanation of how copyrights work. 

7. Next scene, Asian Guy's retail record store is empty, guy is crying on
the floor. Teen Girl who happens to work at the store show up to work, Asian
guy fires her for supporting all the free downloads 

8. Next scene charts showing record sales are down down down to nothing
because people get the music for free 

9. Mystery guy shows up at teen girl's window again to try and convince her
to go back to downloading but she says NO 

10. Guy: "You still downloading?" 
Teen Girl: "Downloading is stealin'." 
Mr. Guy from Free Jackster: "I know you are afraid I am trying to show you a
world without rules." Teen girl: "No, its wrong" ®