Lessig on the World Social Forum

Raindance writes "Lawrence Lessig has a great article up on Technology Review about the World Social Forum held this past January in Brazil. In addition to telling an engaging story, it covers topics ranging from GNU and DRM to Brazil's interesting stance on the rights of foreign copyright holders, and is a good introduction to the permission culture/remix culture debate. It also makes me want to live in Brazil."

Comments

U DONT want to live in Brazil

[terryfunk]

Geez, unless you have lots of money and lots of protection, you really don't want to live in Brazil. You also will live in a country where there has been almost a wholesale genocide against Brazilian indians there.

Do some research..........

Re:U DONT want to live in Brazil

[kingofalaska]

And there are lots of other reasons. Unless you like the idea that a scratch can turn into a very nasty infection, or you like insects that can cause you great pain, or death, or that some plants will ruin your day just by brushing up against them. Then there's the leeches. And the fungus. And the reactions to the malaria drugs. Don't even think about taking a swim. This may be a rumor, but we heard that a parasite would swim into our 'opening' and lodge itself there. I never got one 'there', but I did get some that burrowed into my skin and caused some nasty welts. And I had an adverse reaction to the anti-malaria, anti-yellow fever, and anti-who-knows-what-else shots I was given before I went.

Of course, as the parent poster stated, you could try your chances in the cities. Just have your own army. Then you can travel by armored car with escorts from your gated, walled compound to your office. Yes, Brazil is not Columbia. It's not Paradise, either.

KOA

Anchorage, Alaska Will Host National Policy Meeting on Technology

Re:U DONT want to live in Brazil

[Lemmingue]

You're just another stupid (like Bush) who doesn't know anything about other countries. You think, like other stupid people, that Africa has only poor blacks, that in Brazil you can find monkeys in the streets. Which country do you live? Do you have schools there?

Wonderful

[idiotnot]

Nice to see Larry cavorting with the enemies of freedom, such as the man who closed the forum, Hugo Chavez.

Get a clue, Larry. There's more important things than non-DRM'd movies.

Re:Wonderful

[idiotnot]

You should do some research on the situation in Venezuela before accusing someone of being an enemy of freedom.

If I hadn't done any research on him, how the hell would I have been able to bring this up so quickly? I read the transcript of his speech on a left-wing website (Zmag).

Let's just remeber the fact that Mr. Chavez got back from a "coup d'etat" because of the peoples support.

In 2002. He won a recall referrendum in 2004. No, I don't know anything about the situation there, not at all.

Besides, the ones accusing him of authoritarism are the ones that held the power before him.

For the most part this is true, but it doesn't make their complaints any less valid. Chavez is an enemy of freedom, and is busily setting up a Marxist dictatorship with the full consent of the poor. In fact, it's as close to a pure democratic society as you can find; you have no rights if the majority disagrees with you (including rights to property or life).

That Lessig is legitimizing this is quite disconcerting. Okay, you can make all the movies you want, so long as they aren't DRM'd! And if lots of people who agree with the political strongman don't like your movie, and decide to kill you over it, that's okay, too! (Death threats against independent media are becoming common, and the government does nothing to respond)

Re:The plague is spreading

[TheOldFart]

have heard this from friends who have spent several years in Brazil. Like many Latin American nations, you have wonderful people and great potential, but it's hindered by a tradition of corrupt politics.

No matter what is said, the politics of a country are ultimately the result of its own populace. Politicians are a reflection of the society they represent. Even if that reflection is exaggerated, it is nonetheless, a reflection. People have corrupt politicians because they are themselves corrupt or don't give a rat's ass about what happens outside their own bounding box. If you want some example of how this happens, think of a term we commonly used here in America: "Don't worry, it's a rental". It implies disregard, dishonesty, lack of integrity. Now multiply this a few orders of magnitude and you find yourself in Brazil. They even have a term for this in Portuguese: "Jeitinho" (not sure about spelling), which loosely means "work around" (rules, laws, etc.)

It's not about lack of money or lack of opportunity. It's simply lack of integrity.