5 ms·

This kind of shit is the reason I pirate all major-label and big studio content I want. I refuse to help feed their legal machine. I still pay for third-party

by beedogs 14y ago

This kind of shit is the reason I pirate all major-label and big studio content I want. I refuse to help feed their legal machine. I still pay for third-party, independent content. Anything else is fair game. I consider this approach to be far superior from a moral standpoint. Everyone really ought to be doing the same. Stop feeding the MPAA/RIAA.

AlisdairO 14y ago
...why not just refuse to watch their stuff?
- mmariani 14y ago
  That works incredibly well too. With the added bonus of having time to spare to do more rewarding things.
- beedogs 14y ago
  this works well for the most part.
- Karunamon 14y ago
  What's the difference? Either way, you're not giving them money.
  - majormajor 14y ago
    Because if you think it has enough value for you to watch it, but refuse to pay for it, you're not really protesting anything. You're just being a jerk. It isn't taking a principled stand to do something which helps your own wallet at the expense of the people making the content you watch. For clarification, since I seem to have worded that unclearly: if your protest is indistinguishable from simply being greedy, don't be surprised if your message gets lost. If you think it's worth protesting, go all the way. Otherwise how am I supposed to tell that you really think your reason to protest them outweighs—even to you—your reason to watch the stuff they create?
    - Canada 14y ago
      I have the right to watch anything I want to because I need to understand my own society. And I can't have my money going to these organizations that are hostile to my interests. The best solution is for these media companies to simply cease operations. The world will be no worse off if they just stop producing digital entertainment, a huge chunk of which is just propaganda anyway.
    - Karunamon 14y ago
      >You're not really protesting anything. Sure I am. I'm protesting giving money to people who campaign against my interests. Nobody (save for you) has said that taking a stand has to be an exercise in self flagellation.
    - AlisdairO 14y ago
      > if your protest is indistinguishable from simply being greedy, don't be surprised if your message gets lost. Well put.
  - abecedarius 14y ago
    Two main reasons. 1. When you don't pirate, at the margin you'll give some of your time, attention, publicity, and money to the sort of producers you want to encourage, which would've gone to Big Content, except only for the money. 2. People rationalize. It's what humans do. When you have a reason not to pay, to what extent is it the main reason? You're both setting up a constant temptation to lie to yourself and clouding your motives to others -- they have more trouble telling how seriously to take your stated reason. (My Big Content disclosure: a netflix subscription and a very occasional DVD or CD purchase -- the last one was Game of Thrones. Haven't been to the cinema in several years and I'm thinking of dropping netflix. Oh, I do still buy plenty of books, though the internet has cut into that. Also, I hypocritically pirate academic books sometimes and do the same for papers with no compunction at all (edit: barring evidence the actual author cares). Maybe that should've gone first, oh well.
    - Karunamon 14y ago
      When you don't pirate, at the margin you'll give some of your time, attention, publicity, and money to the sort of producers you want to encourage Pirating from people who I don't want to encourage, and paying people who I do want to encourage are not mutually exclusive actions. When you have a reason not to pay, to what extent is it the main reason? You're both setting up a constant temptation to lie to yourself and clouding your motives to others -- they have more trouble telling how seriously to take your stated reason. For one, I don't particularly care what anyone else thinks of my media consumption habits. I state my reasons for pirating content - if someone disbelieves me, that is their prerogative.. the goal of not supporting people who campaign against me is achieved regardless.
      - abecedarius 14y ago
        You can do both, but at the margin there is an effect. You may not care, but 1. People's opinions affect the fight; perhaps it's most of the battle. And 2. as a human you can't trust your self-perception.
        Karunamon 14y ago
  - AlisdairO 14y ago
    Aside from what other people have already said, you add to the statistics on people who download media illegally. These provide ammunition for the creation of crazy laws such as SOPA.
cabalamat 14y ago
I've come to the same conclusions. I: - never buy anything from a MAFIAA-affiliated company. If in doubt, I don't buy it. - vote for the Pirate party at every occasion. - encourage all my friends to do the same.

by beedogs 14y ago

AlisdairO 14y ago

...why not just refuse to watch their stuff?

mmariani 14y ago
That works incredibly well too. With the added bonus of having time to spare to do more rewarding things.
beedogs 14y ago
this works well for the most part.
Karunamon 14y ago
What's the difference? Either way, you're not giving them money.
- majormajor 14y ago
  Because if you think it has enough value for you to watch it, but refuse to pay for it, you're not really protesting anything. You're just being a jerk. It isn't taking a principled stand to do something which helps your own wallet at the expense of the people making the content you watch. For clarification, since I seem to have worded that unclearly: if your protest is indistinguishable from simply being greedy, don't be surprised if your message gets lost. If you think it's worth protesting, go all the way. Otherwise how am I supposed to tell that you really think your reason to protest them outweighs—even to you—your reason to watch the stuff they create?
  - Canada 14y ago
    I have the right to watch anything I want to because I need to understand my own society. And I can't have my money going to these organizations that are hostile to my interests. The best solution is for these media companies to simply cease operations. The world will be no worse off if they just stop producing digital entertainment, a huge chunk of which is just propaganda anyway.
  - Karunamon 14y ago
    >You're not really protesting anything. Sure I am. I'm protesting giving money to people who campaign against my interests. Nobody (save for you) has said that taking a stand has to be an exercise in self flagellation.
  - AlisdairO 14y ago
    > if your protest is indistinguishable from simply being greedy, don't be surprised if your message gets lost. Well put.
- abecedarius 14y ago
  Two main reasons. 1. When you don't pirate, at the margin you'll give some of your time, attention, publicity, and money to the sort of producers you want to encourage, which would've gone to Big Content, except only for the money. 2. People rationalize. It's what humans do. When you have a reason not to pay, to what extent is it the main reason? You're both setting up a constant temptation to lie to yourself and clouding your motives to others -- they have more trouble telling how seriously to take your stated reason. (My Big Content disclosure: a netflix subscription and a very occasional DVD or CD purchase -- the last one was Game of Thrones. Haven't been to the cinema in several years and I'm thinking of dropping netflix. Oh, I do still buy plenty of books, though the internet has cut into that. Also, I hypocritically pirate academic books sometimes and do the same for papers with no compunction at all (edit: barring evidence the actual author cares). Maybe that should've gone first, oh well.
  - Karunamon 14y ago
    When you don't pirate, at the margin you'll give some of your time, attention, publicity, and money to the sort of producers you want to encourage Pirating from people who I don't want to encourage, and paying people who I do want to encourage are not mutually exclusive actions. When you have a reason not to pay, to what extent is it the main reason? You're both setting up a constant temptation to lie to yourself and clouding your motives to others -- they have more trouble telling how seriously to take your stated reason. For one, I don't particularly care what anyone else thinks of my media consumption habits. I state my reasons for pirating content - if someone disbelieves me, that is their prerogative.. the goal of not supporting people who campaign against me is achieved regardless.
    - abecedarius 14y ago
      You can do both, but at the margin there is an effect. You may not care, but 1. People's opinions affect the fight; perhaps it's most of the battle. And 2. as a human you can't trust your self-perception.
      - Karunamon 14y ago
- AlisdairO 14y ago
  Aside from what other people have already said, you add to the statistics on people who download media illegally. These provide ammunition for the creation of crazy laws such as SOPA.

cabalamat 14y ago

I've come to the same conclusions. I: - never buy anything from a MAFIAA-affiliated company. If in doubt, I don't buy it. - vote for the Pirate party at every occasion. - encourage all my friends to do the same.