Our Authentically Fake and Hypocritical Society of Copies

By Edward Curtin

Source: Behind the Curtain

“Ditto,” said Tweedledum.
“Ditto, ditto!” cried Tweedledee.
– Lewis Carroll,Through The Looking-Glass

Sometimes a trifling contretemps can open a window onto significant issues.

As a case in point,The New York Times,a newspaper that regularly publishes U.S. propaganda without a bit of shame or remorse, recentlyreportedon a controversy involving Simon & Schuster and Bob Dylan’s new book,The Philosophy of Modern Song.The report with the same information was repeated across the media.

The publishing company had offered limited-edition, authenticated, hand-signed copies of the book for $600 each. Nine Hundred collectors and die-hard fans bought a copy, many, no doubt, caught in hero worship and the thought that a Dylan-penned signature would grant them a bit of his fame through the touch of his hand upon their lives.

The quest for immortality takes many forms, and the laying on…