Mikiela Ashley
Professor MacLennan
English 101
28 October 2014
The Internet’s Own Boy In the words of Henry David Thoreau, “Unjust laws exist; shall we be content to obey them, or shall we endeavor to amend them and obey them until we have succeeded, or shall we transgress them at once?” Such a quote is used at the very beginning of the documentary film written and directed by Brian Knappenberger, “The Internet’s Own Boy: The Life of Aaron Swartz”, consequently foreshadowing its particular relevance throughout film.
When analyzing the words of Thoreau, I believe that as an American citizen, I have the ability to transgress laws at once. It is my obligation as a citizen to contribute my opinion to matters that I believe should be changed or…show more content… All of the interviews conducted during the film remained with people who were in favor of Aaron’s actions, including his immediate family, supporters, and close friends. By only allowing the people who supported Aaron to be a part of the interview process, this created bias throughout the film by not allowing any criticism to be placed upon Aaron. Only one viewpoint was presented in the film, showing that the director, Knappenberger was in favor of Swartz’s actions as well.
At the beginning of the documentary Rob Swartz, Aaron’s dad, said, “The government killed my son.” The government did not literally kill Aaron; instead such words held a metaphorical meaning. When Rob stated those words, he meant that the government was aware that Aaron was weak and they took advantage of that. The government pressured Aaron with jail time, which in return, drove Aaron to commit suicide.
During the course of the film, Aaron is portrayed as a victim of discrimination from the government, instead of owning up to the crimes that he committed and taking sole responsibility for his…show more content… When Aaron committed such crimes, the government used this as an opportunity to convey the seriousness of hacking to all potential hackers around the United States.
Aaron’s motive for downloading the articles from JSTOR remains unidentified, and even though JSTOR dropped the charges against him, the government continued to ridicule Aaron. During one of the interviews, Aaron’s ex-girlfriend stated, “He was just burnt out. Aaron could not live any longer going through this misery. I could just see it in his eyes.” Aaron committed suicide at the age of twenty six; I truly believe that the pressure of the government overwhelmed Aaron and the only way that he thought he could avoid the punishment was to take his own life.
In hopes of using Aaron’s arrest as a symbolic message to other hackers, the prosecution never expected for Aaron’s death to serve as a way for Americans all around the U.S. to fight for net neutrality. Aaron had the cognitive and technological ability to become the next famous billionaire, but he let his misinterpretation of transgressing laws interfere with his capability. I would highly recommend this film to anyone who believes in standing up for their beliefs. “The Internet’s Own Boy” really captured the beautiful life of a true genius. In the words of Aaron’s mom, “May his legacy continue to live