Do What You Want

In today's interconnected society, we commonly conform to what others want us to do because we are afraid of getting in trouble. In many scenarios, this fear is reasonable as there are mechanisms to enforce this control.

But, if you are doing something purely for the sake of doing it, there is little anyone can do to stop you if you set it up right. Doesn't stop them from trying though. Here are some ways of insulating yourself from the control of others.

1: Don't Make Money

My wife likes Taylor Swift. A lot. And good for her; I want her to do what makes her happy because I love her and stuff.

Somehow, she got tickets to see her soon. She wanted to wear something awesome for the show. But the official merch that TSwizzle makes didn't suit her fancy, so she designed her own.

Pictured: The very cool dress my lovely wife made.

This dress uses copyrighted images with impunity. But it's probably fine. Tay Tay's lawyers may technically be entitled to sue her for this dress, but it's incredibly unlikely. Think of the optics of a massive artist suing over a single fan made dress that is not being sold.

However, the second you start selling your item, everything changes. Suddenly, a "cute" fan project becomes a target for litigation. And this is even baked into the law; one of the factors that the doctrine of fair use takes into account is whether the allegedly infringing materials are made for commercial or non-commercial purposes.

A rule of thumb that we use is: If you make one for yourself, it is a piece of art. If you mass produce and sell it, it can land you in hot water.

Note: My disclaimer on things not being legal advice applies to the entire site, but it especially applies here. Break the law at your own risk.

2: Keep Up The Kayfabe

Kayfabe is a term that comes from wrestling. It refers to the practice of presenting the various characters in the matches as real. But, you know, they aren't.

Pictured: Well, let me tell you something, brother!

Two weeks ago, I wrote an essay on how the business world has no clothes. You should totally read it, but if you can't be bothered, the gist of the essay is that large businesses like to project success and invulnerability when they are taking on the impossible task of growing infinitely.

If I had published that post on my LinkedIn, it would get me fired. Not even a question. But on here, I highly doubt it will matter (even if you happen to know who I am irl). This is because I am going out of my way to post this in a forum divorced from my identity.

Now, had I named clients of the firm specifically or used information that was not public, the kayfabe crumbles. But, used effectively, kayfabe enables me to not be silenced by a social media policy (or others in general).

3: Question the Rules

As part of law school, it has been beaten into me that rules are just things that people make up. And as such, they can often be flawed. But, people who want to prevent you of doing perfectly reasonable things can easily hide behind a rule. How often do you hear "It's just our policy, we can't help you"?

If you know who wrote the rules and why they were written, you know the right person to request an exception from. Other cogs in the system will just adhere to the rule.

4: Ask For It in Writing

Is someone being unfair and you think their reasoning is suspect?

When you request something in writing, it's no longer just someone telling you "no." It's someone telling you no on the record. This forces someone to reconsider their stance as they now have to produce evidence that you can show their boss (and everyone has a boss; you just need to know where to look) or the authorities.

***

Do what you want. If you plan well, no one can stop you.

Pictured: I'm gonna do the things that I want to do. I ain't got a thing to prove to you.