Originality…

Often after reading a book, I have a tendency to write in that authors.  This was particularly so after reading A Confederacy of Dunces.  I couldn’t help but feel Ignatius’s fiery rhetoric coursing through my veins to the tip of my fingers.  And this isn’t wrong, and should never be wrong.

The issue I found with Everything with A Remix is that they spent a long time trying to make an obvious point.  And the evidence used isn’t too captivating.  Tenuous comparisons are made between movies seemingly on the basis of sharing one basic plot point or in the composition of shots.  Furthermore, I didn’t find the argument that the sequels of moving or the transformation of a movie into a book compelling.

This bit, Raiders of the Lost Archives was far more compelling in evidencing tenuous lines in drawing from other works.

Part 4 did, however, raise some good issues.  The idea of using ideas, of improving on other’s work, is a fundamental nature of creativity.  Divine originality is a false truth.  We must build upon each other for the sake of progress.

And, at times, there is malicious use of this creativity.  People do steal other’s ideas and do claim them as their own.  The biggest issue, today, is the maturation of the business of protecting our ideas and the deep seated fears that what we create will be stolen.

What resolution is there?  The line will always be tenuous.  People and industries will steal others’ creations or claim that they did.  Or that someone took your idea and made it far more useful.  Life will be murky and brackish, but hopefully there will at least be some elbow room to work.