satire vs. reason

[David Farber <dave () farber net>]

Begin forwarded message:

From: "David P. Reed" <dpreed () reed com>
Date: October 25, 2005 1:36:17 AM EDT
To: David Farber <dave () farber net>
Cc: Tim O'Reilly <tim () oreilly com>, Lawrence Lessig  
<lessig () pobox com>, Lauren Weinstein <lauren () vortex com>
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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