{"id":41606,"date":"2013-11-23T20:46:50","date_gmt":"2013-11-23T20:46:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/rafaelfajardo.com\/portfolio\/hey-beastie-boys-you-need-to-let-this-go\/"},"modified":"2013-11-23T20:46:50","modified_gmt":"2013-11-23T20:46:50","slug":"hey-beastie-boys-you-need-to-let-this-go","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rafaelfajardo.com\/portfolio\/hey-beastie-boys-you-need-to-let-this-go\/","title":{"rendered":"Hey, Beastie Boys . . . you need to let this go. FOR SCIENCE."},"content":{"rendered":"

jtotheizzoe<\/a>:<\/p>\n

\n

Science Avengers \u2026 ASSEMBLE! <\/strong><\/p>\n

Next up on the docket is Beastie Boys v. GoldieBlox, Inc. in the 4th Circuit Court for \u201cRidiculous Applications of Copyright Law\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

You know that\u00a0amazing ad for GoldieBlox engineering toys<\/strong><\/a>? The one that features three young girls busting up our pretty pink princess toy culture using one of the greatest Rube Goldberg setups ever devised? The one that has a chance to be played during the Super Bowl, so that people everywhere can see the value of promoting STEM education in young girls\u2019 lives?<\/p>\n

Well, the Beastie Boys don\u2019t like it. GoldieBlox produced a parody version of the Beastie Boys\u2019 hit song \u201cGirls\u201d for that ad, and the Boys of Beasthood are going after them for copyright infringement.<\/p>\n

GoldieBlox is claiming \u201cfair use\u201d in a counter-filed court claim<\/a> (or whatever it\u2019s called, I\u2019m a scientist, not a lawyer), which I actually think GBlx have a pretty good case for, but I\u2019m not going to bore you with legal mumbo-jumbo. This is made especially ironic by the fact that the original Beastie Boys song has, shall we say, a decidedly\u00a0less<\/em> than flattering view of women.<\/p>\n

Inside the GoldieBlox court filing, I found this sick burn directed at the Beastie Boys\u2019 original lyrics compared to the inspiring GoldieBlox version:\u00a0<\/p>\n

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In\u00a0the\u00a0lyrics\u00a0of the Beastie\u00a0Boys\u2019\u00a0original song,\u00a0girls\u00a0are\u00a0limited (at best)\u00a0to\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>household chores, and\u00a0are presented\u00a0<\/span>as useful only to\u00a0the extent they\u00a0fulfill the wishes of\u00a0<\/span>the male\u00a0<\/span>singers.\u00a0The girls are objects.\u00a0<\/span>The GoldieBlox Girls Parody Video takes direct aim at the song<\/span><\/span>\u00a0both\u00a0<\/span>visually and\u00a0with\u00a0a\u00a0revised\u00a0set of\u00a0lyrics celebrating the\u00a0many\u00a0capabilities of\u00a0girls.\u00a0Set\u00a0to\u00a0the\u00a0tune of Girls by the Beastie Boys but with a new recording of the music and new lyrics, girls are\u00a0heard singing an anthem celebrating their broad set of capabilities\u2014exactly the opposite of the\u00a0message of the\u00a0original.\u00a0<\/span>GoldieBlox Girls are the subjects; they are\u00a0the actors taking charge of\u00a0<\/span><\/span>their environment.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

It gets better! Look at this chart comparing the lyrics of the original to the lyrics of the parody cover,\u00a0it\u2019s too good<\/em>:<\/em><\/p>\n

\"image\"<\/p>\n

The Beastie Boys and Def Jam records just need to do the right thing here and\u00a0let it goooooooooo<\/em>\u00a0<\/strong>(preferably slow and low). That\u2019s where you come in!<\/p>\n