[Script] The Sins of Silicon Valley - Act 1, Scene 7

 Scene 7-The Public Square

[Images of Occupy Wallstreet]

VO: Occupy Wallstreet was a movement ahead of its time and changed the narrative of how income disparity is discussed in this country, but one detail that people tend to forget about is that the core movement in wallstreet was in Zuccotti Park.  The park is on private land that was still a public park by proxy.  The term is Privately Owned Public Space.

[Images of different publicly owned private spaces]

VO: There are a lot of reasons for these, but one of them is that sometimes developers make deals with city or regional governments to provide public services such as a park or school in exchange for zoning concessions from the city government.  

[Image of Kleenex, Xerox]

VO: Kleenex and Xerox became so well known for tissue and copying that they lost their trademark due to common usage.  Google is starting to go in that direction already.  I

[Images of the Public Square and Commons]

VO: In the old days, the Public Square was where anyone could say whatever they wished; or at least what the government would permit.  But it was the place of public gatherings, the place where executions and art and town criers brought news of the world.  Now, the public square has become Facebook and Twitter and Tiktok and a thousand smaller shards, but the public square isn't so public anymore.

[Images of Cars and Houses and people going to work]

VO: Governments protect private property so that people have a motivation to cooperate.  A nice home and car are things that most people are willing to work for.  But the ultra rich just assume that the government has to serve them because it always has.  And yet…and yet…technically, governments can change laws, and cultures and nations can and have changed governments.  Just because something is ‘Private Property’ doesn't mean that it can do whatever it wants how it wants.  The public square is STILL the public square, even if it is a Privately Owned Public Space.

[Images of Trolls and Bots]

VO: And the powers that be of the Dark Valley are doing an absolutely terrible job of taking care of it.  As we try to have civil discourse, as we try to decide who to elect, who to like, who to love; they permit noxious distractions, both trolls and bots to howl like mad.  They make token efforts to curate the garden, but its like grabbing a flea or two with a pair of tweezers in an entire orchard.  

[Images of Revolution and Nationalization]

VO: We don’t have to nationalize facebook and twitter of course, though eminent domain absolutely allows the government to seize private property for public projects like roads.  Paleoconservatives howl that the constitution doesnt mention the internet.  You know what? It doesnt mention tanks either yet we still allow the army to buy them.  The internet and social media are the public square, so we definitely can seize it.  Instead, we can graciously allow them to keep the land, but regulate the park.  But there needs to be some rules.