Blog 10: A remix of expectations

The remix is here: http://i.imgur.com/vMJtV.jpg
On page 68 Lessig discusses the RW culture of media. He starts out with a bit about how text is the today’s Latin in that it is used as a medium for communication for the elite. I have not decided how much I but this idea but I can say that it is something I have thought on quite a bit. I read a lot. When I was a child my family had a television but it was not connected to anything but a VCR. This is probably why I enjoy reading so much. So I balk at the idea that reading does not hold the same importance for others that it does me. However when I think deeper on the issue I realize that none of my friends read with anything that could be described as regularity. The one friend I have who comes the closest is one who reads comic books non-stop. I stumbles across this comic remix on the internet the other day and immediately thought of this friend. I am constantly telling him he needs to make the jump from comics to books and then he will see what a real plot is like. He tells me that I need to widen my range of media consumption to include comics as they do tell some compelling stories. I don’t know that either of us will ever win this debate but I sent him this remix as a jab. It clearly makes mock of one of his favorite things. He loved it and the idea got stuck in his head. I spend a great deal of time rewriting old comics with him several weekends ago. It was very enjoyable. I suppose I had better connect this back to Lessig. I never felt a connection to comics as strongly as I did when I was rewriting. Suddenly old comics that told horribly racist stories were rewritten to mock their main character. It was around this time that I realized Lessig was right. Books are becoming the communication means for elitists while media is the language of the common man. To speak it is something we grow up learning how to do. Without ever intended to I have started creating remixed media.
This remix connects back to Lessig’s arguments about remixed media in other ways. Clearly this comic is not hurting the original creators ability to tell their story or make money from it. The person who remixed this comic has so changed it form it s original story as to be unrecognizable. This is the point of a remix. The only link back to this comics original origin is that you know the words are not what was originally intended by the artist and that makes it a little bit more funny. Most of the mirth derived from this piece comes with the new story the remixer told through it.
Lastly this comic is hosted by imgur.com which was created with the express purpose of hosting pictures in an easy format. It is used largely for remixes. It has developed into a mini image blogging site. You can comment on the images hosted if you know where to look for the original posting. The link I have included is the image only link. I was unable to find the page link. But what is important about this is Lessig’s ideas about not censoring ones feedback. When you post an image in imgur people who find their way to the comments page and leave a comment never intend to come back and probably could not find their way back if they wanted to. This leads to very honest comments. There is so little censorship of opinions on the internet and I think that might be the most horrible and importing part about the remix. People are going to tell you what they think of you remix and it will have little to do with anything but their own feelings and thoughts. People pay very little heed to feelings on the internet. I have just about run out of thoughts on this topic so I suppose I will stop for now.