Down the Rabbit Hole of Creativity

Anything that the human race can think up has already been thought of. That was the basis of the arguement in today's video. The human race has been reduced from a society that is constantly creating and imagining new futures has been reduced to zombies without an original thought floating through their thick skulls as they use their "infernal devices". As society has evolved and changed with each generation, their forms of entertainment and ways of spending time are criticized. This generation has apparently turned from a RW (reading-writing) generation to a RO (reading-only) generation. This current wave of Millenials is being called out for taking works that have already been created and stealing them, therefore making every YouTube video, AMV, and Gif on Tumblr subject to crippling copyright laws. But the arguement stands as thus: how far can originality be stretched out before it is considered stolen?

Let's take for example, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll. People all around the world have enjoyed the truly unique characters and witty whimsy of this book, from the smile of the Cheshire Cat to the Red Queen's famous one-liner, "Off with their heads!". This classic story has been taken and recreated so many times it can make one's head spin just thinking of all the different possibilities this one story has produced. There have been multiple movie renditions, both live action and animated. There have been many books taking the base characters of Alice, the Mad Hatter, etc. and thrusting them into different worlds (such as the book Alice in Zombieland, where Alice fights zombies to save her friends). From video games to fan-made art and jewelry, this simple children's novel conceived in 1865 has reached across two millennia to still affect readers today. Becuase of the originality of Lewis Carroll, copious amounts of works and artwork has come out of the patchwork of creativity in the world. If these copyright laws were to be taken seriously, then every single one of these forms of media would be violating Carroll's work and could be seen as unoriginal. 

When it comes to things such as this, it should not be seen as an act of stealing his work for the artists own selfish purposes. If anything, it should be an extension of the work that Carroll has thought of and should be appreciated. If one thinks about it, it is simply just another adventure for Alice and her whimsical friends. It should not be seen as something to be abhorred or something unprofessional. We as a society are capable of creating so much more if we do not limit ourselves. If Alice has to get back home in one rendition, who says that she does not have to save that same home from zombies in another rendition? We have become an RO generation becuase of these laws trying to limit our creativity. But by using what we have been given and extending those ideas, we are reaching past the limits of what we thought we could dream up. 

Congress needs to get it together

When one thinks of Congress, they normally think of Washington D.C. With senators and representatives of each state meeting for important meetings and such. What doesn't come to mind, however, is Congressional fundraising. These congressmen and women, sent into office to represent their respective state and come up with laws to govern the country, are essentially made to grovel for money from their more wealthy supporters. This is a clear injustice because it is pulling these congressmen from their jobs and instead making them into sales reps, raising funds just to be able to stay in Congress.

According to an article featured in the video, "...members spend anywhere from 25 percent up to 50 percent...of their time fundraising". Within the examples given of the different fundraisers held (birthday and wedding anniversary fundraisers included), Congress has even managed to make a fundraiser out of a Taylor Swift concert. It just sounds so silly, thinking of congressmen and women using their power to make Taylor Swift make money for them. And to make these calls, they have to go to this nondescript building and makes calls for hours on end. They also have to make sure that these citizens could easily dish out $1,000 dollars for their cause, so that limits their search even more. It honestly sounds ridiculous. Here one has some of the most influential people in the United States, and every day they are expected to badger for money and have fundraiser at a shady clam restaurant in D.C.

This reminds me of the prompt we received with the NEA and wondering whether tax dollars should unknowingly go into a scholarship that is known for cutting funds to certain programs within the arts. It just adds another thing onto the list that American people are paying for in taxes but have no clue what it goes to. If congress wants to own up to their use of Taylor Swift fundraisers, then they certainly should. The middle class should be able to know what is going on and then let their own representatives know what they feel on the matter. This whole situation was likened to the Cold War, with congressmen on both sides not wanting to give up the ghost before the other. If everyone in America were able to cooperate and state a way in which Congress could get its funds and keep the Senators and middle class happy, then I am all for it.