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> At the margin [piracy] lowers the price everyone is willing to pay for the item. Does it though? Someone jumping the turnstile in the subway doesn't make me
by an_ko 8y ago
> At the margin [piracy] lowers the price everyone is willing to pay for the item.
Does it though? Someone jumping the turnstile in the subway doesn't make me think "man, my ticket is too expensive really".
Instead, it makes me think "that person can't afford a ticket, but the additional operating cost of the subway for a rare unpaying passenger is basically nothing, and a free trip probably means a lot to someone poor, so letting them get away with that has basically added value to the world for free".
I believe most people are honest and want to play by the book. Large-scale cheating indicates an underlying problem, like poverty or general shittiness of the only available options.
- yoz-y 8y agoIn my life I've only ever seen one person who looked like they couldn't afford to buy a ticket to pass through the exit door. All the youth I've seen jumping the turnstiles were people who clearly could. In many cases it's the same with the music, I know several people that just flat out refuse to pay for any music or films.
- FooBarWidget 8y agoThat is just you. I have seen enough people who, after having taken a train ride where nobody ended up checking their tickets, complain that they wasted money on a ticket. I have also seen enough people who don’t take rules seriously because “everyone else is violating them too”.