The difference is you can legally buy a TV with your legally earned money. The grandparent's "shit government", on the other hand, payed you an amount of money

The difference is you can legally buy a TV with your legally earned money. The grandparent's "shit government", on the other hand, payed you an amount of money it figured you deserved regardless of the actual demand for your skills, and then with that money you could buy very little on the legal market because few things were sold on the legal market, while the black market prices were likely out of reach for you, even if your skills were tremendously important to the economy. In this situation stealing parts from your factory (not from a shop where little was to be found) and selling them on the black market is more compelling and IMO more excusable than under some other form of government.