Theft, Fair Use, and Monetary Value (SOPA and PIPA fiasco)

New legislation in the form of SOPA and PIPA intends to dismantle the internet as we know it and replace it within a sphere of authoritarian sponsorship. It should have been known that something of this nature would occur when Vice President Joe Biden compared pirating music with breaking into and stealing from a jewelry store. The intentions of these legislative decisions are to inspire the transformation of an Open Domain internet into a Closed Domain internet reliant upon authoritarian consent as opposed to free choice.

But serious fallacies and errs in thinking supersede the SOPA and PIPA bills, central to those errors are the very definition of "Theft" and its relation to the larger body of human interaction. The act of theft is all pervasive throughout life, but it is within human society that "Theft" has been abstracted into "Crime" and spliced into contractual law we as "citizens" follow as a birthright, a serfdom of service, if you will. But the act of theft, that is to say: the act of stealing, can be simplified to mean nothing more than "the act of deprivation". And in that sense everyone is guilty of theft, as deprivation is insurmountable in sustaining existence. For example, microcosmically, my free time is deprived by an employer I must labor for; I even say my free time, that is to say the time of SELF, is deprived through the simple act of communicating with another. Microcosmically, deprivation is extended even further into the Spectacle of survival itself within a 21st Century model of economic nourishment; I was not taught how to catch the fish at the supermarket, of course.

Despite the absurdity of reducing Internet "Piracy" to a Categorical Imperative vision of "Theft", legislators continue to push forward, as if they are blind to the idea of Fair Use. Fair Use interpreted in my sense is about transformation, and therefore circles back to transformative efforts of the SOPA and PIPA bill which wish to transform Fair Use into a vision in line with their image. Fair Use is usually broken down into the categories of "Commentary/Criticism" and "Parody". But what within the domain of the internet, or within the confines of phenomena itself is free from commentary, criticism, or parody? The act of any language based human interaction, the act of cognitive thinking itself, is by default a form of commentary. To deprive Fair Use on the internet is to deprive one of a basic human desire and Will for action. Therefore human creativity and ingenuity, which begins and ends through commentary (language), is stifled.

But what of the poor entertainment industry, aren't they being abused by the evil Open Internet? They're business owners just as Biden's hypothetical jewelers, are they not? But the point is their business is not being infringed upon by "Piracy", if they were less short sighted and more ingenious they would find what many professional Creatives and Entertainers have found, "Piracy" is a good thing. The act of online Piracy takes the logic of a "Free Market" to a logical conclusion, allowing human beings to engage in their desires with less pressure than a marketing team can possibly allow. Monetary value is only as useful as the system it exists in, for it is an extension of Fiat Money in today's system; it is a Medium of Exchange. A simplifying method, and all together arbitrary in light of the possibility of competing currencies. As economist and political philosopher Frederic Bastiat showed in his fascinating "What Is Money?" riches is equated with "progress and civilization". The SOPA and PIPA supporters wish to protect civilization at the expense of progress, but they fail to realize that both categories go hand and hand, and one cannot be gained without the other.

Frank Miller Sounds Like An Old Foggy

As a writer and creative type I often look for inspiration and advice amongst my counterparts, based both contemporary and classically. Not least amongst these potential inspirations are comic book writers, who in my view, occupy a medium designed for exponential creative output. But one writer in particular has caused a bit of a stir around his anti-Occupy Wall Street rant. 

Now I'm not a bleeding heart egalitarian, humanist, socialist, or whatever other types you'd find at an Occupy protest; but Mr. Miller's blindly patriotic ranting sounds like the words of an out of touch geriatric who's angry that he doesn't understand all this new fangled fashion the kids are into these days. I mean, back in Miller's good old days I bet blind allegiance and acceptance of the status quo was the way to go. Back then dinosaurs roamed the earth, and you either stood with the Cave Man Police Force Brigade or against them. I mean, he refers to the popular computer game "World of Warcraft" as "Lords Of Warcraft" for goodness sakes. Nice going gramps.

But more telling than Miller suffering from "embarrassing grandpa" syndrome, is the fact that he suffers from "Blind Patriotic Nationalist" syndrome. With his blog posts about "propaganda", "MSM", "Islamicism", "9/11" victimization and poor attempt to compare his reactionary xenophobia with the work of classical thinkers like Thomas Paine, Miller looks like the poster child for a Fox News fear mongering fest. He even spews out the tired "I'd gladly be pulling the trigger myself" line. Well no one's really stopping you if that's how you feel Frank.

"Mr. Patriotism" Frank Miller shows that he understands Geopolitical strife about as much as a Deer understands the functionality of an automobile. Thankfully contemporary comic writer, and all around bad ass, Alan Moore had a few choice words for Miller and his blind nationalistic clap trap.

To Die A God On Earth

   


      The death of infamous North Korean leader Kim Jong-il has been on the worlds radar as of late. Born as Yuri Irsenovich Kim in 1941, Kim was viewed in America as an annoyance, source of comedy, and potential threat of international proportions. But in his own home of North Korea, Kim was a God on Earth.

      Referred to with such high titles as "Supreme Leader", "Our Father",  and the ever so humble "Glorious General Who Descended From Heaven and the Ever-Victorious Iron-Willed Commander", Kim, through indoctrination and flexing of warfare aptitude, managed to achieve an apotheosis. Now given the title of "Eternal President", even in death his legacy of Godhood stands tall. But this legacy was not generated by Kim alone. It has historical roots dating back to his father Kim Il-sung, the first to establish the pervasive Cult of Personality now a part of  North Korean Socio-Politics.


      Adopting a philosophy of "Juche" (Korean for self-reliance), Kim the second inherited the Communist ideology infused North Korea with the intentions of turning it into a superpower. After economic struggle and famine, Kim Jong-il managed to do just that by adopting a military first policy which allocates the greatest priority of resources to the North Korean military. In North Korea God is only rivaled by his war dogs kept under thumb, and woe to any who challenges the combined force of God sanctioned state power. Also, what God wants he gets; as South Korean film director Shin Sang-ok found out after a 1978 kidnapping. The kidnapping orders were given by movie buff Kim to kick start a North Korean film industry. It's good to be the king, no?

    North Korea, and perhaps all historic oriental dictatorships and superpowers, offer a shining example of evolutionary psychology and religious symbolism gone awry, as well as a peak into the fundamental ease the human mind can be manipulated given the proper fact deficit stimuli. Among many of  Kim's attributes purported by the North Korean media were his abilities to control the weather with his mood. But what would you expect from a man whose birth itself was a divine act? Jesus-er...I mean Kim Jong-il, also reportedly learned to walk at three weeks of age and was capable of speaking by eight weeks. He also appears to be one of the most prolific men of artistic genius ever, completing 1,500 manuscripts in the course of three years as well as six operas. Always the humble God, Kim's autobiography states that his operas are only "better than any in the history of music." But perhaps Kim's most God-like attribute was his miraculous ability to circumvent bathroom breaks. That's right, Kim Jong-il didn't poop nor peep.

      With the death of North Korea's very own deity now looming over the social and political realm, the question to be answered is what's next for North Korea? The idea is Kim's son, the "Great Successor" Kim Jong-un will take over his fathers Godly duties as the new supreme leader just as he was groomed to be. But there is some fear that a power vacuum now exists and North Korea may become destabilized in light of a power grab by ambitious usurpers. Chances are Kim the third will obtain his post, if things are the be kept running smoothly. Surely any ambitious power grabbers are aware they live in a nation of Stockholm Syndrome afflicted Kim Jong-il loyalist.