(no subject)

[joreth]

http://www.nypost.com/seven/07102009/news/regionalnews/biff__wham__pow__178573.htm

I'm not sure how I feel about this.  On the one hand, hah! Batman and Superman get arrested in NY! 

On the other hand, dude, a "performance license" just to walk around in costume?  What, exactly, constitutes a "costume"?  It's pretty clear that Batman and Superman do, but why didn't the Statue of Liberty get harassed or handcuffed?  And why a "performance" license if you're not "performing"?  What constitutes "performing"?

These are the problems with micromanaging and over-regulating people's personal lives.  I could almost see the city getting involved if they were taking money (because the government always has to have its cut) or if they were enforcing copyright laws (but since these costumes can be sold for Halloween, I'm not sure how that would work either).  But a performance license just for walking around in public in a costume?  WTF?

Comments

[joreth]

Yeah, I need more information to clarify how I feel about this situation. The police interference may have been warranted, or it may be another ridiculous intervention on people's personal lives.

[(Anonymous)]

Sounds like they weren't just walking around in a costume though, but were begging in a costume. That's pretty much the same as some busking acts, which probably do need a performance licence. So I don't know that the police asking them for more information or ID is unreasonable, depending on their (the police's) attitude.

Must have been a pretty surreal situation for spectators to walk into, though. I cringed when it described little kids watching superman getting arrested though - way to kill a child's innocence! Why not beat up Santa at the same time?

kfish