Feng Shui, the ancient Chinese science about improving one’s environment, has recently been adjusted to serve beauty, fashion, business, and what else.
The western business world has picked the term “Feng Shui” to serve as a synonym of “money”, and is trying to sell ordinary things as Feng Shui cures. Feng Shui is in fashion, and mentioning it wherever possible, whether appropriate or not, seems to have even become a sign of good taste.
What happened in the courtroom?
Take a look at this case. Joel Tenenbaum, a Boston University student, has been accused by the Recording Industry Association of America in downloading and sharing 30 songs on Kazaa in 2004. Tenenbaum’s defense team consisted of a Law professor from Harvard School, and Founder of the Berkman Center for Internet & Society, Charles Nesson, and a group of Nesson’s students.
Taking advantage of all the possible means for helping his client out, professor Nesson applied some unusual as for a usual case strategies:
- In the process of selecting jurors for the hearing, Nesson was asking potential jurors sometimes strange, and always unrelated to the case questions, such as what they thought about his wardrobe, or what they thought about legalizing marihuana.
- Tenenbaum’s lawyer convinced the judge to allow him rearranging the furniture of the courtroom. Nesson justified such a request by the idea that traditional courtroom set-up was a bad "rhetorical space". As a result, the defendant’s table was moved to face the jury. The plaintiff’s table did not change its location, and continued facing the judge.
Who said “Feng Shui”?
And here is where the media takes on. Though Nesson never said a word about Feng Shui, adventurous journalists picked up the furniture move as a Feng Shui related action, and announced professor to practice the Chinese science in courtroom. Probably describing the case in such light is more likely to make an article or a report more popular.
Well, Feng Shui it was or not, it didn’t help. Joel Tenenbaum lost the trial, and has to pay $22,500 for each of the 30 songs he shared.
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