In an act of utter defiance today China and Google joined forces to launch a Free Music Initiative. Anyone with a Chinese IP address will be able to download copies of many of their favorite licensed Chinese and Western music. Apparently the country was so incredibly over-run with music-pirates that they simply decided to make the music files available to the public for free in hopes of turning a profit indirectly from advertisements as they give away downloads on the site.
This move by China and Google embraces a concept that I have though a lot about, but have not yet found a name for. It’s the concept of relinquishing control in an effort to regain control. It’s just like a game of tug of war (or tug of rope): two teams on each fiercely pulling on opposing ends of a rope struggle to pull the other team across the centerline. If the teams are equally matched the struggle continues painfully forever. However if the team “A” realizes their efforts are futile, they can decide to simply let go. The other team falls flat on their butts. Who’s the loser? Definitely not the team on their butts.
I imagine the word describing this process would be something ancient and deep-sounding like Fung-Chuai or Carpe Diem (it’s obviously not either of these). But for the life of me, in all my Google searches I can’t find any word that describes this concept, and I can’t seem to come up with a word that sounds decent enough to add to the English language.
So, my failure is your opportunity and here’s the $100 contest:
1.) Be the first to send me the actual word or phrase that accurately (at my discression) describes the concept of “relinquishing control in order to regain power or a sense of empowerment”. If this is an actual term, please provide a published/legitimate reference.
2.) If no one can come up with an actual existing phrase describing this concept, then I will select from a list of terms invented by you (the readers).
Entries may be submitted to mark-at-SoundSprout-dot-com. Feel free to enter more than once.
If you win, I will send you an e-mail requesting your address so that I can mail you your check. If you don’t respond within three days of this e-mail I will move to the next runner-up. If nobody enters I will coin the term and take my wife to Outback Steakhouse for dinner… with beerJ If you have any questions just e-mail them to me.
Entries may be submitted to mark-at-SoundSprout-dot-com. Feel free to enter more than once.
If you win, I will send you an e-mail requesting your address so that I can mail you your check. If you don’t respond within three days of this e-mail I will move to the next runner-up. If nobody enters I will coin the term and take my wife to Outback Steakhouse for dinner… with beerJ If you have any questions just e-mail them to me.
I will announce the winner and possibly some good runner-ups in this blog on Friday, April 17. I will then try to make a Wikipedia entry for your word, but I can’t make any promises.
