[IP] satire vs. reason
Begin forwarded message:
From: "David P. Reed" <dpreed@xxxxxxxx>
Date: October 25, 2005 1:36:17 AM EDT
To: David Farber <dave@xxxxxxxxxx>
Cc: Tim O'Reilly <tim@xxxxxxxxxxx>, Lawrence Lessig
<lessig@xxxxxxxxx>, Lauren Weinstein <lauren@xxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: satire vs. reason
I refer all to the wikipedia article on satire: http://
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Satire
The value of satire is that it creates extreme stress emphasizing
weaknesses in the presumptions made in an otherwise "obvious"
metaphor or analogy.
It isn't a form of humor, but a way of sounding an alarm.
The goal of satire is to make readers and its targets very
uncomfortable with their assumptions.
Jonathan Swift's "A Modest Proposal" is satire at its best. It's
offensive and discomforting. Elements of its logic seem quite
reasonable, yet the entire effect is revolting and ugly.
I find Anonymous's piece completely absurd, myself. But its
assertions are clearly calculated to make everyone, including me,
extremely uncomfortable! Perhaps that is because there is no
comfortable place to be on these issues. When the law itself is an
ass, it's hard to find comfort in taking the law seriously.
Dave - I do believe that your use of quotations and extracts from
[copyrighted*] sources are justified and ought to be treated as fair
use, and I would stand firmly in your defense on that ground. You
do a great service for all of us. Yet it seems likely to me that
the law and legislation continues to move in a direction that will
make what you do quite illegal.
It seems to me that copyright law should serve to increase social
good. Human society don't exist to serve the needs of copyright law,
however loudly its partisans sing its praises.
* The word "copyrighted" is redundant here since copyrights in *all*
original writings (except works for hire) are owned by the author
from the time the writings are fixed in written form. That's been
true since the 1960's when registration requirements and notice
requirements were explicitly removed.
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