LJ, obscenity, and the Internet

For the last couple of weeks I'd been meaning to write up my thoughts on LJ's announcement and clarifications regarding exactly what constitutes unacceptable content according to their terms of service. Given the latest developments, I don't know whether to be glad or sorry that I never got around to it.

( Really, really long. )

I'm not saying not to be angry at LJ. I'm pretty irritated myself, especially given that I've stood up for them throughout this mess and now I'm starting to feel like they're going out of their way to prove me wrong. Protest, and leave if you feel you need to, and take whatever measures you need to take to protect yourself. (Although really at this point I wouldn't worry about fic too much -- the obscenity standards for textual materials are much stricter than those for images.) But what if we took all this energy we've built up being upset at LJ and turned it into action to get behind the Electronic Frontier Foundation? What might we be able to do? What if we found a way to make this about something more than "OMG they took away my pr0n!!11!"? This might be our opportunity to become a force for change, not just on LJ, but in the larger world. Something to think about, anyway.