Mmastodon ScienceScience first seen 1 d ago, last 1 d ago, peak #2
Old Goose Poem Recirculates in Land and Commons Debates
Original: "The law locks up the man or woman Who steals the goose from off the common But leaves the greater villain loose Who ste
A short verse about the enclosure of common land is circulating widely: "The law locks up the man or woman who steals the goose from off the common, but leaves the greater villain loose who steals the common from off the goose." The anonymously written poem was quoted by James Boyle in 2003 and referenced in a recent arXiv paper, and readers are sharing it as a pointed commentary on property law, privatisation of shared resources, and who the law punishes.
Why now: The verse is being quoted again in current discussions about intellectual property and the enclosure of shared resources.
Evidence
- "The law locks up the man or woman Who steals the goose from off the common But leaves the greater villain loose Who steals the common from off the goose" An anonymous poem quoted by J. Boyle in 2003, via https:// arxiv.org/pdf/2610.27251 (via @ skelk via @ hannorein ) #… · kangmeister@mathstodon.xyz · 1
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