Corporate Capitalism is Evil - Hitler Copyright Edition

I've had the pleasure of meeting several times with a well-known masculinities scholar named Michael Kimmell who once explained to me why academics make poor talk-show guests. Detailing his appearance on an episode of the Oprah Winfrey show - I believe the topic was white supremacy - he was flanked on both sides by frothing extremists. His role was ostensibly to be the impartial 'decider' of right and wrong. That's not the way it works.

Anyone who has spent time thinking deeply about an issue must conclude that dichotomies - good/evil, right/wrong - simply don't exist. They are a journalistic shortcut that keep us divided by preventing an earnest challenge to the underlying mandates of a particular ruling class. To paraphrase Cary Elwes, anyone who claims otherwise is selling something.

The early days of the Cold War was a large-scale example of this dynamic. It is no more logical to claim that the spread of communism was a threat to the people of the United States than it would have been to worry about Poland attacking us after

being occupied by the Germans. Before the U.S. decided to escalate a nuclear arms-race, there was no credible motive to fear the spread of an economic ideology. While forceful Soviet occupations may have indeed raised worthwhile issues of human rights and just warfare, the conflict was far more about determining the economic framework of an increasingly globalized world. With two main players, a dichotomy was erected between capitalism and communism.

Capitalism prevailed which lead some, like the newly influential Francis Fukuyama, to declare the 'End of History' whereby liberal capitalism had become so entrenched as to withstand any foreseeable challenge. Indeed, Bill Clinton pursued this framework with almost messianic zeal, combining neoliberal globalism (a global economy free from regulatory impediments) alongside a vigorous pursuit of American exceptionalism. With his predecessor combining this mission with militarized enforcement, it is indeed easier today to imagine the end of the world than it is to imagine the end of capitalism.

The problem with such dichotomous thinking is that it fails to account for a multiplicity of options for a global economy. 'Capitalism' is an amorphous concept - it can (and does) exist in many different forms throughout the world. As such, there is no credible basis for our present ruling class' definition of capitalism in terms of corporatism whereby we have surrendered control of our global economic system to entities that lack any responsibility to the public good.

All of this is my long way of leading into a rant about Youtube's latest decision to remove Hitler 'Downfall' parodies [1] from their servers. This was done in compliance with a takedown notice [2] from Constantin Films despite such videos enjoying support from the film's creator [3] as well as legal protection [4] as a parody under U.S. law. But what Youtube uploader has the resources to defend themselves against a movie studio in court?

If you haven't seen Downfall, it is an absolutely brilliant film that left me in a bad mood for weeks - I wholeheartedly recommend checking it out [5]. If you have heard of the film, chances are it's because of one of these parodies having sustained this meme and likely driving millions of more viewers to this German-language film while the producers of such remixes have not made a single penny. But whether or not such parodies are actually making the studio money is irrelevant insofar as remixes are not only protected by law, but are essential to the evolution of artistic expression.

We've all borne witness to what corporate absolutism does to the environment, worker's rights, etc ... nobody wants to live in a world where art is strictly commodified and the only way for artists may only make a living is by reproducing tightly regulated and homogenized products for mass consumption.

Copyright is meant to prevent theft, not inhibit our cultural development. It is already running amok [6] and trending towards an institutionalized absolutism [7] that will cripple the digital age. Capitalism has spurned progress in a number of wonderful ways, but economic systems are meant for the betterment of society. When such system begin acting to our detriment, then they must be questioned and refined lest we surrender to yet another form of totalitarian rule. You can start by enjoying the following video while you still can:

Hitler reacts to the Hitler parodies being removed from YouTube

Corporate Capitalism is Evil - Hitler Copyright Edition

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