Left Behind Brainless

I am so OVER families of 9/11 victims wailing and gnashing their teeth, again. Bizarre, PR-related hysterics seem to happen every time they are not magically granted special privileges and rights they feel entitled to by an act of terrorism.

Now victims' family members are beating their chests and tearing their hair out because a branch of NYC government failed to "secure" all imagery associated with 9/11; thereby other people, perfect strangers even, are, gasp, using the events of 9/11 for their own artistic purposes. The nerve! What kind of lackadaisical, unresponsive government do we have that won't go in there and seize a copyright from its owner?!

The New York Daily News says,

...photographer Gregg Brown, who was paid about $300,000, refused to sign an agreement that would have given the city ownership of 30,000 photos and countless hours of videos - all captured while he was in an NYPD helicopter.

Instead, Brown registered the material with the U.S. Copyright Office for himself, then used some of the video in a documentary, "Words," The News reported. Some of his photos are being sold through a major photo agency.

Full article here.

How dare someone use a moment in history for an artistic endeavor! The nerve. Take a torch to Guernica. Quick. Before somebody goes all weirdo arty on us. God forbid we try to INDIVIDUALLY and INDEPENDENTLY interpret HISTORY.

Sorry... I'm shouting here, but I'm really deeply incensed by this particular level of gross American stupidity. This is the kind of thing that makes hip Euros laugh their butts off at us. Maybe that doesn't bother you, but I can't sleep at night sometimes for thoughts of snotty, gorgeously attired, reed-thin, brilliant French chain-smokers all laughing at me outside Deux Magots. It was bad enough when I was a teenager.

tags: Guernica, 9/11 victims