Re: The Wire
 

I have met Gwnc, and I can attest that she is quite smart, I would peg her IQ at about 146.

And I apologize in advance for bragging, because of course, for me to have estimated her intelligence required me to be at a somewhat higher level. Still, I do believe my seconding gwnc statement made my boast a necessary evil.

Re: The Wire
 

With an IQ like that, I don't think Gwink would let you peg her.

Re: The Wire
 

If I may now join in and agree, I agree. In fact, I'm wondering who took Atticus' log-in because his logic usually seems very sound, and the logic in these posts of his is not sound. It's like he's mad at celebrity culture and lashing out in an unfocused way.

Re: The Wire
 

the crazy thing is, atticus (or his forum persona at least) would love to be in adder's shoes getting attacked, then dismissed by her. it's a weird love he'd develop then, but one every bit as genuine and strong as yours.

Re: The Wire
 

I don't think I've ever been any more imaginary-internet-in-love with you than I am right now. Right. Now. And that's saying something, as I've been pretty imaginary-internet-in-love with you before.

Re: The Wire
 

RRrrooowwrrr! I would love to, but he's not around.

Probably cowering in the corner and fearing my wrath.

Just you wait, GGG!

Re: Stuck on Repeats
 

I think we should incorporate lawtalkers, then convince facebook we are a real threat http://money.cnn.com/2012/04/09/tech....htm?hpt=hp_t1

to pull this off we'll need someone in charge of recruiting newbers who isn't socially pernicious, and Thurgreed, you need to quit trying to run people off. Page hits: that'll make us the big bucks.

Re: The Wire
 

Your prior post started out a little shaky, and I was all like, "he's really not going for something that lame, is he?" And then I read on and was all like, "okay, that redeemed itself, maybe the Moth people aren't all on crack."

This one, not so much.

ETA: I will admit that Gwink should hate me for the horrible grammar, though.

Re: Stuck on Repeats
 

For some reason, I believe there is already an LLC.

I, however, do not own any equity, so I will continue to be my repellent self until someone pays me off to go away.

Re: The Wire
 

Okay, let me try to clarify. Celebrities can say "Fuck Santorum" or "Obama 2012" all they like, just like other Americans. It's their right, and I don't deny it to them. (Which is a stupid thing to have to say, since "I hate it when X says Y" is not a limitation on X's speech anyway -- it's more speech, as you've said.) But who cares? They get a microphone because they're famous, but their insights haven't been selected for quality.

What I specifically dislike is when a recording artist says "You can't use my song." Yes, it's nothing more than free speech to the effect of "I hate you," which is fine. I'd prefer the artist to say "That guy's an asshole and I'm not voting for him." You might respond that "Don't use my song" is toothless (and it is), but the public is less aware of that than you might want to believe, and the candidate actually faces a ridiculous choice between complying with a legally baseless moral demand or creating a sideshow that detracts from the policy debate. The artist has commandeered another guy's campaign for publicity. When I hate the candidate my first thought is "Yay, good" but the more I've thought about it, the more it's a ridiculous privileging of one person's views over another. We don't let other kinds of artists make moral claims over the use of their works they've sold for cash. (Actually, in limited instances we do, but those rights are narrow and usually involve giving the artist the right to take the work back out of the stream of commerce and doesn't let them pick and choose who gets to use it.) Copyright is the tool we use in lieu of moral right, and that's good because free speech rights were never supposed to be about the right of the speaker to be heard, but about the listeners' right to hear. So if Romney wants to play "We Take Care of Our Own" at a rally, the listeners should decide whether they're inspired or persuaded. Springsteen saying "He's doing that over my objection" adds nothing to the discourse -- it only subtracts from it, by claiming the song can't mean what Romney stands for. I don't think the artist should get to decide that point with any greater authority than the listener can, which is why it pisses me off when an artist even says "You can't use my songs." It just drags everybody into a world of heckers' vetos. We'll have typeface designers holding press conferences to distance their works from hated users. Or maybe Apple will publish a website of all people who they wish wouldn't buy and use Apples.

It's horseshit. Say how you'll vote and see if people care, but claiming a monopoly on how and where your art is interpreted and used, aside from copyright law, is net bad for discourse.

Re: The Wire
 

Here's where you lose me. Why isn't it, "please don't use me to sell you?" That doesn't have to be hate?

Frankly, if I were an active recording artist, I'd probably make the same request of any campaign, whether I liked them or not, because (1) I want the broadest possible audience and thus don't want to be foreclosed to those who dislike the candidate, and (2) I get press for making the request.

What's ridiculous about it? The candidate gets to chose between communicating respect for the wishes of the artist or sending a big F-U and soldiering on. I see zero moral victory in the candidate standing up for his legal right to be a prick.

Huh? Copyright absolutely allows the artist to pick and chose who gets to use it. The only reason that right is in any way in question is that the artists here have sold a blanket license.

If the campaign was instead showing clips of Snow White, my benighted understanding of the law says Disney would have every right to demand they cease and desist.

Is the discourse really the only value that's implicated? Shouldn't you of all people place some value on the artist's wishes, if only out of politeness?

Spoken like a non-celebrity, and spoken like campaigns are simply naive and picking catchy tunes rather than sometimes trying to coop the celebrity's brand as a sort of pseudo-endorsement.

ETA:
And the campaign had commandeered another guy's art for publicity. Who's in the moral right?

Btw, you realize that there's a pretty easy way for campaigns to avoid this situation, right?

Re: The Wire
 

I don't see how Springsteen saying "He's doing that over my objection" adds nothing to the discourse.

The discourse is all about words coming out of Springsteen's mouth, some of which he even wrote. Saying, those words don't mean what you think they mean, seems to me to add much to the discourse.

This is no where near as recockulous as your state's right of personality law. Now, that is just crazy.

Re: The Wire
 

Yawn.

Re: The Wire
 

Hi there. I've been away in my own private hell for about a week or so, but have since caught up. The answer to this question is a qualified yes, but only to the extent that I'm actually scared of meeting any of you people in real life, with the possible exception of Gardener, who seemed like a good chap.

Re: The Wire
 

actually, if you buy my book, or my visual art you've the right to read it or hang it on your wall. You've no right to use it beyond that. you've bought the piece is all. Read Center for Creative nonviolence.