Brady Bryan
Protecting original works has always been a subject of controversy, especially since the internet has become more and more prominent since its creation. Original books, artwork, videos, and the like have a way of finding themselves onto the creations of others' works, and while most features of others' works fall under fair use, more often than not, original works are used in ways that do not fall under fair use, let alone are given credit to the creator. Because of this, those that fail to properly use unoriginal works have their content reported for plagiarism and removed and in extreme cases, charged. While this is an agreeably fair punishment, most platforms (especially online) with rules and terms regarding use of copyrighted material blur their lines on what counts as fair use. The general use of "three seconds or three-percent, whichever comes first," doesn't always apply on platforms such as YouTube, and sometimes videos that drew information or inspiration from another person's content can be falsely accused of plagiarism, getting them caught in the net despite being inherently innocent. It is for this reason that I believe that tougher copyright penalties would further blear what constitutes as copyright infringement, thus hindering creativity. Copyright infringement already hurts the media industry by damaging its reputation, but incurring harsher penalties would prove more destructive. The art, music, and film industry heavily rely on creativity, so when a case of plagiarism or infringement occurs, the culprit loses all credibility, earnings, and respect as a blemish on the industry. Therefore, it is understandable that it is preferred that measures are taken to ensure that doesn't happen. However, unnecessary measures prove detrimental to the cause. One such incident can be mirrored in Europe. Germany and Spain had implemented laws tantamount to inhibiting mere snippets to/of others' content, but it did more harm to publishers than good and was considerably unsuccessful. Another European method was to essentially have a system auto-detect what was fair and what was infringement. As with most automated technology, however, creative works such as parodies were indistinguishable from infringement, and would fall victim to the auto-bot. Modern problems do require modern solutions, but only if the solution is foolproof. Otherwise there would be more harm than good. Copyright is not an easily solved issue. Therefore, it should be handled with the utmost importance such as by a government department. After all, freedom of speech and freedom of the press are constitutional, but when the line between infringement and expression are so unclear that those abiding by copyright terms are hurt, it arguably bridges unconstitutionality. Organizations such as Creative Commons make it easier for content creators to publish their own works by providing a catalog of free-use material without fear of infringement, and is favorable to schools (especially art schools such as DSA) where that is the main focus. Had the criteria for copyright infringement been made clearer, schools (and by extension, students) would have a wider access to online material, but sadly, this is not the case. Citation(s):
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Brady Bryan
Books are amazing. They allow the reader to delve the world that the author has written for them, and sometimes, this leads to emotional connections being formed between the reader and the world before them. This can even cause the reader to draw parallels with the book and reality as the book may make some slight pokes at politics (satire), society, or the archetypal family structure. Books that specifically focus on aspects of reality as their theme in such a way that it acts as a metaphorical "door" into the lives of real people and how their circumstances influence their way of life are referred to as "mirrors, windows, and sliding glass doors." One book I have read that serves as a "mirror" was Knock Knock: My Dad's Dream for Me by Daniel Beaty and Collier Bryan. The book is about a young African-American boy who lives with his mom in a bustling city. The boy insists on waiting for his father who has left him when he was younger. He spends most of his days returning from school drawing and writing letters to his dad telling him about his day and what he has learned. He eventually receives a letter from his dad telling him to practice becoming a functioning adult and once the boy became an adult, they meet each other and embrace. For me, this book is a "mirror" and has impacted me because my father has also been physically absent for half of my life. The only ways that I could come in contact with him were traveling to New Jersey over the summer and calling each other over the phone. Another book I have read which is a "sliding glass door" was Brothers in Hope: The Story of The Lost Boys of Sudan by Mary Williams and R. Gregory Christie. It is about two brothers in Sudan that struggle to survive in a civil war that has left countless other Sudanese people dead. As bodies pile up and all resources dwindle, the boys fear for their lives. While many of us reading this book are unable to personally relate, we can still imagine what it is like to live without the luxuries we have today. By reading this, I (along with other readers) felt a strong urge to donate time, energy, and resources to support the third-world countries as they are more unfortunate than we are and we should at least sympathize with them. In addition, I have read Tacky the Penguin by Helen Lester and Lynn Munsinger, which is a "mirror" to some and a "window" to others. The book is about an eccentric penguin named Tacky who, unlike the rest of the dull, boring penguins, lives a fun life and completes tasks in his own, entertaining way. It emphasizes being unique and standing out among a crowd of like-minded individuals which is a trait that some can resonate with, some can hope for, and some find a foreign concept. As for someone who would rather have their own style and flair that others cannot imitate, it strikes me as a "mirror" book, and has encouraged me to continue leading a life that I deem worth living by my own standards. It is important to have a diverse range of books, but we mustn't forget about the books that incite introspection in all of us. Not every book has to be as deep as the "Read Woke" movements, but should be easy for the reader to resonate with.
Brady Bryan
Books are a medium that everyone is familiar with. From preschool to college, departments of education worldwide utilize books as the main source of teaching, and can very well be attributed to how one learns and interacts with the world around them. The types of books provided to the public has a substantial impact on their growth, cognition, and experience as the content displayed in books are what they familiarize themselves with throughout their entire life. Books tend to deal with a diverse array of topics from biology to social sciences, comedy to thriller, fiction to nonfiction, each ranging in level of intricacy. However, due to the multiple blatant issues with society nowadays, modern books tend to have a much larger emphasis on the concepts of society. Even authors of childrens' books subtlely interweave minute hints of social commentary within their works. With the increase of visible social commentary in childrens' books comes a larger, more pronounced increase of commentary present in modern novels. Such prominent issues discussed revolve heavily around the actions of teenagers, particularly drug use, sexual activities, and suicide. One challenged novel later turned into a Netflix original series garnering controversy from 2007 was Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher. Thirteen Reasons Why is about the suicide of a teenage girl as a result of bullying and depression. A boy who had a crush on her receives multiple tapes of the girl's recorded voice. In each tape, she tells stories of what led to her suicide with each testimony being attributed to a bully from high school. In 2018, Thirteen Reasons Why earned the sixth spot on the "Top Eleven Most Challenged Books" List for addressing teen suicide, resulting in the novel being banned and restricted. While the novel deals with a heavy topic that seemingly increases in modern-day society, the book shouldn't be challenged for doing so. Why should books that address real-life topics be criticized? It is as if society is trying to ignore reality and keep literature purely fictitious. One review of the novel by Kathryn Hughes states that the premise is rather preposterous, yet suspenseful and clever. The main idea of the novel is to elicit the reader's thoughts about the effect words have on others especially when combined with hurtful comments and rumors made in groups. The novel serves as a thinkpiece instead of a "shock-value" work of literature. Other reviews such as one by Terreece Clarke go harder on the societal topics that the book has while simultaneously targeting parents - a cautious, protective audience - as the reader. Despite listing the heavy topics, he wraps up the article by making the point that suicide is a topic that mustn't be ignored, but discussed between parent and child. Generally, I disagree with the banning and restricting of books. It is highly disrespectful to the author's integrity and initial vision of their work of literature. With reasons for bans and restrictions arguably being as tame as the are, it would appear as though society wants to ignore the progressive views of the world, stagnating the progression of society as a whole. As one grows up, one realizes that the world is not as pure and beautiful as they once thought at a young age. Therefore, books of a certain maturity level reserve the right to remain intact, and it is the duty of librarians (in accordance with the guidelines and principles stated in the Core Values of Librarianship, Code of Ethics, Freedom to Read Statement, and Library Bill of Rights) to preserve diversity, |
AuthorBrady B. is quite familiar with blogs since he had to frequently post on his blog in 6th grade. Although its been a long time since then, he still knows what a proper blog should look like. Archives
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