Yesterday was election day in the U.S. and the outcome seems to have surprised everyone and surprised no one all at the same time.
Whether you are a Blue Stater or a Red Stater or a Purple Stater or an Opt-Outer, you probably view the American election cycle as little more than an annoyance. And yet there are those, especially professional cartoonists, parodists, ad satirists who find humor in the whole thing.
Take for example, this piece from yesterday's Babylon Bee (keeping in mind that it was published before Election Day was over and long before any results were declared),
Funny, right?
So, what do you think about this, from today's New York Times?
Obviously, they're not identical. But are they too similar to have been created by chance?
[For the rest of the Bee piece, check it out at https://babylonbee.com/news/voters-send-strong-message-to-career-politicians-by-voting-for-slightly-different-career-politicians]
[For the rest of Andy's piece, U.S.A. the Envy of World After Ten Billion Dollars in Campaign Ads Changes Almost Nothing, check it out at https://www.newyorker.com/humor/borowitz-report/usa-the-envy-of-world-after-ten-billion-dollars-in-campaign-ads-changes-almost-nothing]
WHY IT MATTERS. Generally speaking, copyright infringement is the use or production of copyright-protected material without the permission of the copyright holder. Copyright infringement means that the rights afforded to the copyright holder, such as the exclusive use of a work for a set period of time, are being breached by a third party.
The U.S. Copyright Office defines copyright infringement as such: "As a general matter, copyright infringement occurs when a copyrighted work is reproduced, distributed, performed, publicly displayed, or made into a derivative work without the permission of the copyright owner."
Does this instance rise to the level of copyright infringement? Probably not.
Does it remind us of the depressing state of U.S. politics? Absolutely.
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