Week 5, Topic 1

The most surprising thing in this video to me was the part that showed us how Disney was so quick to sue over illegal use of Mickey Mouse. The man they interviewed said, "It wasn't about Mickey, it was about that Disney sues anyone for just looking at them."
I was also surprised that the Supreme Court voted unanimously against the Air Pirates. It seems to me that what they were doing with their cartoons wasn't that bad. I mean people these days in America are allowed and encouraged to express their political views and during election years I have seen very vulgar, very explicit depictions of the candidates either online or even in the local newspapers. If that is covered by our first amendment then it seems like portraying Mickey Mouse is a negative way or using him for comedic value should definitely be covered as well.

I have some questions about the limits of copyright laws and how they might limit our creativity. First I want to know how we are supposed to expand our existing thoughts and knowledge if we aren't allowed to expand on what is already out there for us to pull from. I also want to know why Napster caused such a major uproar, then it was shut down, and now there are so many different sources to download music, both illegal and legal. Why is that not really an issue these days? I guess I am just confused cause it seems to me there is a lot of grey area within these laws and I feel that all laws should be cut and dry with no room for opinion or interpretation, no room for people to bend the laws to fit their personal circumstances.

There have been several times I have thought that celebrities and other groups have taken things way too far in regards to free speech. The most alarming expamples of this in my opinion are hate groups who preach pro-hate propoganda and use it to spread their own agenda. This is both scary and sad. There is always going to be people out htere who feel lost without purpose in life and people who are looking for something to cling on to, something to make them feel a part-of, and i think that is the target audience for such groups.

MODLIFETODAY.BLOGSPOT.COM

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2 YEARS AGO

                             (taken from a post from 2015 on Storify.com)

This reflects my opinion on the issue of hate speech, and this is just one example of how freedom of speech can potentially do more harm than good.