[lbo-talk] why Prince is right

Jordan Hayes jmhayes at j-o-r-d-a-n.com
Sat Jul 10 10:36:27 PDT 2010


Doug writes:


> If I copy it and give it to you, my copy isn't lessened
> in any way.

Kind of like how when I take you to a museum to see a painting, the painting isn't lessened in any way?

Don't forget that "copying" is just an artifact; really what we're talking about here is *listening* to music, or *reading* some writing. If I photocopy your book and put it on my shelf and never read it, I'm "just" a dumbass for wasting my time, toner, and paper ... but it's when I actually read it that you're upset, right?


> It feels like it should be free, but you can't see or feel
> the labor that went into producing it.

But then we're back to the point about nothing really being free: if I stream a song, I'm paying for the device and for my service; if I download a book, I'm paying for bandwidth and storage. I'm paying for energy to drive the gadget, to store the bits. I'm paying for accessories like headphones. On my iPhone, I'm paying for shit I don't even want: phone service!

When I go to the museum, I pay the transit company, the oil companies, or whatever to get there; I pay ConAgra and Monsanto for the food[*] to give me the strength to walk there, if you like. I pay the museum to keep the lights on and paint the walls and pay the docents to tell that jerk to not touch the Lichtenstein[**].

So let me just be the first to say: I feel it and I see it.


> Fuck you, pay me - I like that.

I think the lines before that, uh, summary are a little more illuminating ...

Henry Hill: [narrating] Now the guy's got Paulie as a partner. Any problems, he goes to Paulie. Trouble with the bill? He can go to Paulie. Trouble with the cops, deliveries, Tommy, he can call Paulie. But now the guy's gotta come up with Paulie's money every week, no matter what. Business bad? Fuck you, pay me. Oh, you had a fire? Fuck you, pay me. Place got hit by lightning, huh? Fuck you, pay me.

I like it a little less in this situation ...

/jordan

[*] Don't kid yourself, I don't actually eat that crap ... [**] True story!



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