> It's like not tipping your waitstaff - sure it's voluntary, but you're still ripping someone off. That's a good analogy, precisely because many people (mysel

> It's like not tipping your waitstaff - sure it's voluntary, but you're still ripping someone off. That's a good analogy, precisely because many people (myself included) consider the concept of tipping as it exists in the US to be absolutely ridiculous. It's technically voluntary, except it's really mandatory. And this causes a bunch of issues that seem entirely avoidable to me. Over here in my part of the world tipping is actually voluntary, as it should be. If content producers provide content online for free, it should be free. If they want to get paid, well, they should put a paywall, use microtransactions, ask for donations, or think of other ways to make money. It's not my job as consumer to go out of my way to make their business model work. Especially not if this business model relies on the scummy world of (online) advertising. Edit: If anything, comparing ad blocking to neglecting to vote or recycle is intellectually dishonest.