[FC-discuss] FreeCulture.org is now Students for Free Culture

[Thomas (TJ) Olsen]

 absolutely disagree--students and academia in this country and globally 
have a long history of great activism and creative output

tj
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Crosbie Fitch" <crosbie at cyberspaceengineers.org>
To: "'Discussion of Free Culture in general and this organization 
inparticular'" <discuss at freeculture.org>
Sent: Tuesday, October 02, 2007 6:52 PM
Subject: Re: [FC-discuss] FreeCulture.org is now Students for Free Culture


>I would have thought "Artists for Free Culture" would have been better.
>
> Or even "Free Citizens for Free Culture"
>
> I would suspect that the popular conception of a student is a passive
> receptacles for knowledge, only expected to start doing anything
> significantly productive/creative until after they've ceased being a
> student.
>
> The last thing a passive receptacle needs is the freedom to publish copies
> or derivatives. People will assume students are just after broader
> educational exemptions for using the library photocopier.
>
> So 'Students for Free Culture' comes across as if it was "Couch Potatoes 
> for
> Free Culture".
>
> At worst "Students can't afford much, so we should get the world's culture
> free of charge. Thanks."
>
> The best light it can be put in is "Typically militant students having the
> luxury of being able to agitate against cultural oppression of the masses"
>
> What's so special about a student?
>
> That's what I want to know.
>
> If you say 'many people showed up who were not aware that we were a 
> student
> organization', perhaps instead of concluding that you need to strengthen 
> the
> student angle, you could have concluded that you should ditch the student
> angle (even if students do constitute the key demographic most able to
> perceive the corruption in copyright and patent).
>
> The last thing a body that champions cultural freedom should be is
> exclusive.
>
> If only FreeCulture.org was now 'Everyone for Free Culture'
>
> "We found people were confused when we said it was a student organisation,
> so we've stopped saying that. We now just say it's an open and egalitarian
> organisation that welcomes everyone interested in promoting cultural
> freedom"
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