Disney's SSSCA psy-ops: "EZ Jackster"

[Xeni Jardin]

Forwarding a post from the pho digital music list (end of this message). A
Newsforge item that also appeared about this today reads:

"--Disney Channel cartoon portrays music downloads as evil
The Disney Channel cartoon series The Proud Family
(http://disney.go.com/disneychannel/zoogdisney/shows/proudfamily/index_main.html
)
aired an episode on Oct. 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 proposed legislation
that is scheduled for a hearing before Congress Oct. 25.
<http://www.newsforge.com/article.pl?sid=01/10/22/1636242&mode=thread

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?"--"

[BEGIN PHO POST]
-----Original Message-----
From: PHO
Sent: Monday, October 22, 2001 12:06 AM
Subject: pho: Tonight on Disney



Well Pho Pholks
Lara Lavi here from Very Juicy Records

I relay this without passing judgement just sharing with you what I just saw
this evening.

I turn on the TV with my little 2.5 year old to watch some Disney show about
an African American teen girl (The Proud Family - animated show) and here is
the story line ( I think I missed the first couple scenes but here is the
general jist.

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 abirdged
explanation of how copyrights work.

6.   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,
aisian guy fires her for supporting all the free downloads

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

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

7.     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 says no its wrong GOODBYE

THE END

[END PHO POST]