Despite attempts to reign it in, YouTube has proven to be one of the coolest quasi-Socialist utopias on the web. Sure, it got bought out by Google. But it’s also pissing off neo-con media behemoth Fox by allowing users to upload unfiltered content from some of the network’s most successful shows. (Want to enjoy an episode of The Simpsons without enduring plugs for Joe Millionaire or ads for KFC’s Buffalo Snacker? A search for “Simpsons” and “Halloween” scares up eighty-five results, at least a few of which turn out to be full episodes.)
And now comes news that YouTube is bulking up its general support of artistic expression by offering monetary incentive. Feel like flexing your creative muscle and committing your upside-down talking chin routine to Memorex? Go ahead — soon you might get paid for it.
Legislation that hog-ties YouTube’s bucking freedom seems inevitable, so let’s take a minute to reflect on this unusually progressive moment in American pop culture.
Question: Do you watch “illegal” content on YouTube? What do you think of Fox’s lawsuit? Would getting paid change the experience of uploading and watching home videos?

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