Class 2: Intro about Soc.Sust

Last class was a great overview of what we can expect to fall under the umbrella of "social sustainability." 'Human rights' would be the main words that I would use to describe this idea, and the second word that comes to my mind would be 'accessibility.' Human rights is key for me because the idea of 'social' is human made and to have equal rights for all humans is only achievable if done in a sustainable manner. 'Accessibility' is also a very important idea because making necessities in life available to all (instead of more privileged individuals) is very important because it makes for a more healthy, happy, and productive populous. Access to health care, education, clean living, healthy food, secure jobs, and even mental health are all things that social sustainability advocate.

Last class we focused on the Protect IP Act (PIPA) and the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) that is currently on hold in the Senate. In short, these acts would make it so the government can go though freely and check if people are downloading illegal music or other media. Advocates say that it is unfair and illegal to steal artists creations and there needs to be a better way of regulating downloading. People who are opposed to these bills say that it is too vague and the government is violating our privacy and could look into our lives via the computer without having to get a legal search warrant from a judge. I personally think that these acts a like that of the Patriot Act and could be used against the American populous if our government wants to. Here are some links to what is going on with these proposed bills:

-http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stop_Online_Piracy_Act

-http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PROTECT_IP_Act

It seems to me that this class is pretty much based upon human morality, and that everybody in the class is there because we a very likeminded and want to better ourselves by learning about how to apply these ideas of social sustainability to make things better for our community and even the world. I'm stoked to learn more about this subject and even more stoked to apply it in my community.