Now that the lunkheads in charge of the European Union have accidentally passed Article 13 and outlawed creative expression in Europe, I suppose now is as good a time as any to finally have that psychological breakdown I’ve been putting off all these years.
 
Article 13 (now Article 17) is a new law proposed by the European Union that requires websites that host user-generated content (things like YouTube, DeviantArt, Tumblr, most social media, really) to ensure said content does not infringe on anyone’s copyrights. It specifically demands that websites be held responsible for any copyright-infringing content uploaded onto them unless they make “best efforts” to get permission from the copyright holder, or else remove the offending piece of content entirely.
 
But what counts as copyrighted content on the Internet? Things like fanart, memes, remixes, blog posts, codes, gameplay footage, freaking tweets, basically anything that references anything at all - 75% of all Internet content if we’re being sickeningly generous.
 
Now, one lone human can’t account for going through every dark and foetid corner of the Internet to delete copyrighted content wherever it can be found, nor can any number of humans. So, the task falls to automated systems much like the ones YouTube and Tumblr employ to scrub their websites clean of curse words and cleavage respectively - automated systems that have a propensity for nuking the whole website or screwing honest users out of livelihoods rather than doing anything useful. And this article seems set to make that the norm for pretty much every website accessible. A grim prospect, to be sure.
 
This article is yet another addition to the conga-line of government-mandated copyright proposals we’ve had over the last few years designed to rid the world of that devestating scourge known as human creative expression online piracy, though it stands out in that it’s successfully been approved by the government (if by complete accident - a group of Swedish representatives accidentally pressed the wrong button when voting and gave the article the five votes it needed to pass, as if you needed any further proof that life is a joke). Which is probably the only success it’s going to enjoy, because the fact of the matter is these vague mandates are unsustainable. Automated filter technology still remains in its infancy, and while the only people who stand to gain anything from this asinine law are big businesses, I bet they’ll be whistling a different tune in a couple of years’ time when the bots go rogue and take whole search engines hostage.
 

 
If you may permit me to get personal for a moment. What follows is the aforementioned psychological breakdown, because I don’t want this to be just another “Article 13 = bad” post a week late. I would like to offer my own explanation for why it is people keep coming up with these crazed Internet laws. It’s rather depressing and probably untrue, but it’s worth mentioning if only to look at the whole thing in a different way.
 
There aren’t a lot of things that I believe in anymore, but one thing I’ve always believed is that creativity is one of if not the most important human attribute we have. Our ability to transplant our imagination into real life is not only truly remarkable, it’s also the lifeblood of the whole human world. Whether it’s a physical invention, an abstract idea or a piece of fiction, it all brings value and meaning into the world. Creativity is my absolute favorite human trait, and one I like to believe most of us have in some degree.
 
I am not a creative person, and I DESPISE myself for it. Always have, likely always will; the low self-esteem I’ve had from birth has become so ingrained into me I honestly believe it unconsiously informs every aspect of my personality. While I’m not suicidal (I’ve been told to go to Hell but am in no rush to do so), I sometimes wish I was never born and was instead replaced by someone better, someone who had the same maladaptive daydreams I have but could translate them into a real-world piece of art. Alas, my sperm cell must have been packing a blue shell, so this was not to be.
 
I don’t bring this up to score pity-points I far from deserve. I bring it up because I wonder if the maniacs who keep coming up with these Internet-killing edicts don’t deep down feel a similar sort of way. Angry, embittered people who don’t feel like they can create anything, don’t feel like they can actualize their potential and take it out on others. Sure, they might have incredible intelligence or live in solid gold mansions with platinum front lawns or whatever, we’d consider them successful by any metric - but what if they don’t see it that way? What if they feel there’s something they’ve missed out on their whole lives? And when they see other people living their dream they get jealous and try and stop them from doing it because it hurts too much?
 
What separates me from these people is one, I’m not successful, and two, no matter how envious I get seeing those around me follow their ambitions, I’d never want to take it away from them. Just because one person can’t achieve their dreams, I don’t think that gives them the right to stop other people from achieving theirs.
 
Which is why Internet censorship laws will always suck. I’m sure their hearts are in the right place trying to curtail cyberbullying and illegal activity and whatever, but at the cost of one of the most influential creative tools we have? I won’t argue it, the Internet is a dangerous, frightening and quite frankly horrible place. But there’s wonder to be found by those who only know where to look. I mean, you’re using DeviantArt right now, I’m sure there’s something that brings you here, some artist or community you like. As much as I knock the website, as much as I rant and rave about how they change it and manage it, I don’t want this place to be hurt. I love escapism, it’s my favorite pastime. Places like this are like cities of escapists.
 
Maybe I’m overblowing it again. Maybe none of this is true. Maybe I’m projecting my flaws onto a bunch of faceless suits who are only in it for the money. I don’t know, and given how it’s past 3:00 AM, I don’t really care either. The main take-away from this is that we all have a sense of purpose that comes from God-knows-where. Follow it, don’t follow it - just don’t hurt others who are. I’d love to live in a world where people could live their dreams, and nutty laws like this get in the way of that. Though if I’m one to talk, maybe I should stop blaming other people for my problems and start working on my own issues. Maybe I should take up learning to draw. I’ve been wondering about it for a while now.
 
If anyone’s reading this (I more than understand if you don’t), know that my stance on the matter is that things like fanart, memes and anything Internet-y are perfectly valid methods of self-expression that should be respected. And if somehow a creative person is reading this right now, first of all, I’m sorry I’ve disgraced you with my presence, and second of all, there better be a God, He better be good and He better give you the best damn afterlife conceivable when you get there. People like you don’t just make life worth living, you make life life, as opposed to just meaningless survival. Without you, everything would be unbearable. You’ve saved the goddamn world, you crazy goddamn heroes.
 

 
I already regret everything I just wrote. I don’t think I really know what the hell it was I meant by any of it. Let’s forget about everything I’ve just said and focus on the image. This one actually has a duel-purpose to it. First, it’s a reference to the Article 13 meme ban by showing the graves of dead memes, sent on their way to the great beyond (or more likely whatever meme hell it was they crawled out of). Second, it depicts My Little Pony’s resident soft-and-fluffy-thing Fluttershy as the Grim Reaper. MLP was quite the big meme at the start of this decade, but it’s also reference to the fact that the show’s up-and-coming ninth season will be its last. Yes, after a whole decade’s worth of collectively freaking out the Internet, Friendship is Magic is finally ready to meet its end. It seems a fitting tribute, as well as a fitting new profile picture. Anything’s got to be more fitting than the Christmas one I’ve had up since 2019 began.