Future Tense

SOPA’s Protest Song: “The Day the LOLCats Died”

There’s a new song for the soundtrack of angry, confused howls from users who can’t call up Wikipedia and Reddit, thanks to today’s blackout in protest of the proposed intellectual property legislation, SOPA/PIPA.

The protest song sometimes seems like a forgotten genre; the 21st century has yet to see a generational anthem like “Blowin’ in the Wind” or “Imagine.” But hope is not lost! “The Day the LOLCats Died,” sung to the tune of “American Pie,” demeans politicians as stooges of big corporations and features a cameo from Mr. LOLCat himself, Cheezburger CEO Ben Huh, who darkened his sites (including The Daily What and I Can Has Cheezburger?) today.

OK, the song lyrics are not particularly masterful (“There’s too much damn support/ Oh, this law we must abort”). But it’s the perfect tool to explain today’s blackout to those poor souls who are confused by Wikipedia’s absence.

Over on his blog, Huh continues the rallying cry: “The rallying cry of the 1960′s was Love and Peace. The 2010′s brought us Openness and Free Expression. The groundswell against SOPA and PIPA isn’t just a reaction to the censorship, it’s the reaction to a real threat to these values we hold closest to our hearts. This is a generation who has seen the erosion of influence from voters to corporate interests with money. The only power that remains in the hands of this generation is their self expression, and SOPA/PIPA sought to restrict this last bastion. This is the zeitgeist of their anger.”