Anti-establishment propaganda stole my photo
In Singapore, there is this phenomenon called “blame stuff on the government”. It is a national past-time where people free themselves of all social responsibilities and blame everything that goes wrong on the government.
This photo was used in the video without my permission
Someone made a “documentary” called One Nation Under Lee on how Singaporeans are suffering under the iron fist of dictatorship, brutally forced to live in a country with one of Asia’s highest standards of living, and on how it is evil for the government to make money through smart investments.
Normally I wouldn’t be interested in local political squabbling, but apparently these guys used a photo taken by me without my permission.
The photo was taken by me some time ago and placed in my gallery as part of my Haruhi Time Capsule Project. The picture is licensed under a Creative Commons 3.0 license scheme, which requires all usage of it to be non-commercial and properly attributed.
Since no one is likely to pay for this terrible documentary anyway, I guess non-commercial is pretty much guaranteed. However, I was not credited in the video! This makes me sad. :(
Fear, uncertainty and doubt
Moreover, the message of the video is nonsensical, illogical and full of FUD. I’m happy to criticize government policies when it makes sense, such as the completely asinine censorship policies that resulted in my hardcore guro Elfenlied DVDs getting confiscated, but it’s seriously an insult to the viewer’s intelligence for the video to shamelessly blame every social ill in Singapore on the country’s lack of democratic governance.
We all know how American democracy has completely solved the poverty problem and that there are no ghettos anywhere in the States, right? Oh, wait a minute…
And the sad thing is that Singaporean youth buy into these blatant propagandas because it’s “cool” to be rebellious and everyone knows that only intelligent people can see through the “lies and deceit” of the establishment and become anti-government crusaders of democracy, justice and love.
I mean, jeez, is the Singaporean government corrupt or what? Just not too long ago, I had to bribe someone hundreds of dollars to get my passport renewed… Oh wait, no. That was back in China. My bad.
And yeah, isn’t it outrageous that government ministers in Singapore earn millions of dollars a year? Those poor Western politicians have to survive on measly hundreds of thousands! It’s a good thing that they can earn back the difference from lobbyists and corporations through “political contributions”, i.e. legalized bribes, or they would never have been able to afford the same luxuries that Singaporean politicians are allowed.
I guess some people would rather have government policies be dictated by lobbyist money.
Anyway, enough ranting. Go watch the video on YouTube and see for yourself. If this is the best argument that Singaporean opposition parties can come up with, then I hope they never come into power.
June 14th, 2008 at 7:13 pm
…coughcoughglasshousescough…
I think it could be argued that the use of that photo in their documentary is permissible under the fair use doctrine… Especially because in Singapore, there is no concept of ‘moral right’ to a work.
Points in favor:
1. Usage was non-commercial
2. Usage was for educational purposes
3. Amount of use - one photo out of a gallery of many
Points against:
1. Authors blatantly ignored the availability of a very liberal license (creative commons license) and instead used the photo without authorization.
2. Wide distribution of copyrighted material (the internet)
3. No time limit on use (it’s on youtube forever)
Technically you could issue a DCMA takedown request to youtube and possibly get the offending documentary removed, but then again, glass houses…
June 14th, 2008 at 7:16 pm
I was only kidding. Though I am pretty sure that YouTube will comply if I request for a takedown, I am too lazy to actually write a proper-looking takedown notice.
Anyway it was just an excuse to rant about how crappy their video is.
Also, I don’t think this falls under educational. Aren’t there some additional legal restrictions when it comes to the use of copyrighted materials in political propaganda?
At the very least, my reputation is potentially damaged by the implied consent and association of my person with this silly message.
People who know that I was the one who took the picture may now assume that I provided it to the creators because I support their message, which I certainly didn’t and don’t.
June 14th, 2008 at 7:16 pm
I only spotted the Haruhiism poster after reading your post right through. I guess my observational skills aren’t up to scratch.
June 14th, 2008 at 8:36 pm
It won’t be long before the “tsunami” (as they like to call it) from your close neighbour comes to Singaporean shores.
We have yet to assess the capability of the opposition party in the newly controlled states but gone are the days that “one party dominance” be the price to pay for “stability” (or in light of rising inflation and crime, “prosperity”).
The advent and embrace of alternative media has been credited with the recent political changes in Malaysia. So the question remains, will the same thing happen in Singapore?
The Government does a good job…oh sure, the bad news is always hushed up. In a democratically elected government, the state serves the public. Hence, the public should be in the know. The documentary calls specifically for that, freedom of press. If you call that unrealistic, then one might as well change the type of government (to despotism or autocracy or oligarchy). Isn’t it easier to justify things that way? Oh no…you can’t, it’d damage Singapore’s international image.
How will the people know if there is no transparency? How can there be check and balances without an avenue for greater accountability?
It has been said that “the people will be easily misled by unscrupulous individuals or elements”. Singapore has a well educated population, so stop demeaning their intelligence. I am sure they can judge things from themselves. And the basis of an informed decision must include the ability to weigh pro against con.
Thus, the documentary does highlight some truths that should be considered by all despite it appearing as reactionist or “a rant by rebellious intelligensia”.
All things said and done, I move for a motion of One Nation Under Haruhi too. Seconds?
June 14th, 2008 at 8:39 pm
Singapore > Malaysia.
If anyone should be trashing their governments political agendas its us (malaysians)! D=
June 14th, 2008 at 9:06 pm
I actually wish that American government bureaucrats got paid more. The private sector (especially finance) pays so much more money than the government that we can never get a good core of bureaucrats like in places like Europe and Singapore. I keep thinking of stuff like the Manhattan Project or the Apollo Project and how nowadays it seems like anyone that would be skilled enough to be involved a government project like that has been hired by Wall Street already to think of new ways to say that the company has made money (as opposed to you know, actually MAKING the money…)
June 14th, 2008 at 9:30 pm
“Just not too long ago, I had to bribe someone hundreds of dollars to get my passport renewed… Oh wait, no. That was back in China. My bad.”
LOL
June 14th, 2008 at 9:30 pm
Oh hey, I’ve been to Singapore before but it was really humid
June 14th, 2008 at 9:35 pm
Now you know how SUNRISE feels about you using screenshots of their anime material! :V
June 14th, 2008 at 10:03 pm
Yeah. I use Gundam 00 in my anti-government propaganda all the time.
June 14th, 2008 at 10:08 pm
Don’t know about the West in general, but the absolute maximum a civil servant can be paid here in France is about US$15,000/month, and only a few high-profile executives ever reach even half that. Well, there’s a very small number of exceptions to that rule (e.g. the President used to have a salary of just over US$10,000/month until 2007, but the newly elected guy had the Parliament vote him a 140% pay rise; a few officials of the Budget Ministry also have salaries that can reach an average $20,000 depending on the circumstances), but nobody gets paid millions, by a large margin.
June 14th, 2008 at 10:10 pm
I’m just shocked that DM didn’t blame the unauthorized use of his picture on the government.
June 14th, 2008 at 10:39 pm
The_Observer:
I don’t think that a government has to be democratically elected to serve the people, and I certainly don’t think that Singapore is a democracy.
It’s pretty silly to blame things like rising inflation on the government, when the economic downturn is a result of international market forces. If there were “true democracy”, inflation would still be rising now and that little video would be complaining about corporate lobbying instead.
Do you honestly believe that any of the problems the video talks about will be solved simply by having a free media and a democratic system? Do you believe that somehow having a mass of people voting for politicians they barely know will produce superior results to a system that promotes bureaucrats based on performance?
This isn’t a fight for the people’s welfare. This is a fight for a political ideology.
On the other hand, I don’t really care if democracy is actually realized. It’s not like I hate it or anything, I just don’t see it producing any substantial benefits. It certainly isn’t a miracle all-in-one cure like its proponents claim.
June 14th, 2008 at 11:15 pm
Wait, there are people who believe that video? Serious?
June 14th, 2008 at 11:20 pm
Yes, they are all on YouTube.