America's Future Foundation

So, someone has created a remix of the Beastie Boys’ “Sabotage” video using clips from Battlestar Galactica, the Sci-Fi Channel TV series. It’s here. Give it a view. It’s quite good. But, ultimately, what’s the point?

Leaving aside the questions of copyright and the rest: Seriously…what’s the point? Does this add anything to the culture? I won’t dispute that there’s some technical prowess in creating this mashup. But so what? What does it add to our understanding of the world, or our grasp of the problems that surround us? Anything? Nothing? Is it just “there” for us to have a chuckle with and move on? Is this the future of our entertainment?

And what if someone makes a second-level remix? What if, instead of using BSG clips, someone shoots they and their hipster friends running around Brooklyn or San Fran in an identical manner, then synching those clips they shot with “Sabotage”? Will that make it more original? Give us an even deeper understanding of what it means to be a hipster completely devoid of originality in today’s society? Will that make it more worthwhile?

These are honest questions. I’m honestly trying to understand what creativity is in an era when the creative class feels free to rip off everything that came before it and pass off previous generations’ creativity as their own. If someone can explain it to me, I’d be happy to listen.

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