Yo ho, yo ho, a pirate's life for me.
Aug. 2nd, 2012 10:34 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
davywavyI'm one of those odd people who still buys music. I buy it off amazon, and sometimes I even go into a shop, select CDs I want and take them to a counter to pay for them, which gets me regarded suspiciously by the assistants because I'm usually the only person in there not nicking stuff.
Given the ease of nicking stuff, the reason I do this is largely philosophical; if someone produces work which I like enough to want to own it, then it makes sense to pay them for it so they'll keep doing it. I've got to admit that I do have music that I've nicked as well so I am a bit of a hypocrite, but I'll put my hand up and say yes, I nicked it, it's theft, and if I were genuinely honest and consistent I'd've paid for it. I'm not going to pretend that I'm in any way justified in helping myself those times I have. Unlike some people.
Which brings me on to this spectacular article linked to by![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
rssefuirosu* yesterday, which seeks to argue that if you pirate music and games then you aren't pirating or being in any way dishonest, you're just taking it for free. Read it. It's hilarious. If I may quote the most lolworthy part of it: Then the internet happened, and capitalism shuddered.... If you wanted something for free you could have it. Piracy suggests villainy of some kind, when in truth all that punters are doing when taking something for free is "taking something for free". It's like lifting a leaflet, or taking one of those samples of cheese from Tesco's deli counter. It's what people do. There's no malice in it.
Now, on first reading, it might seem just like a mealy-mouthed self-justifying screed written by someone with plenty of entitlement and no self-awareness, but you'd be wrong. What it actually is is the Best Philosophy Ever, and one which I intend to live by from now on. You see, when you help yourself to other people's stuff you're not nicking it and there's no malice in it, you're just taking it for free. Clearly there's a difference.
Now, given that most of the most ardent downloaders and filesharers I know also tend to be lefties who believe in things like welfare and socialised healthcare, this attitude gives me the ammo I need to get away with, well, anything I like really. You see, when I lie about my employment status to get the dole, I'm not a benefits cheat, I'm just taking the welfare state for free. And when I decide my money is better off in a trust fund in Guernsey rather than being paid into the treasury, I'm not avoiding tax. I'm taking the NHS for free.
Frankly, this is just awesome. I'm going to have so much fun with this one.
Oh, and that time with your girlfriend? I wasn't having an affair with her, I was just taking her for free.
*Who I would be a great deal happier with if he'd taken a moment to use a LJ name I could spell.
Given the ease of nicking stuff, the reason I do this is largely philosophical; if someone produces work which I like enough to want to own it, then it makes sense to pay them for it so they'll keep doing it. I've got to admit that I do have music that I've nicked as well so I am a bit of a hypocrite, but I'll put my hand up and say yes, I nicked it, it's theft, and if I were genuinely honest and consistent I'd've paid for it. I'm not going to pretend that I'm in any way justified in helping myself those times I have. Unlike some people.
Which brings me on to this spectacular article linked to by
rssefuirosu* yesterday, which seeks to argue that if you pirate music and games then you aren't pirating or being in any way dishonest, you're just taking it for free. Read it. It's hilarious. If I may quote the most lolworthy part of it: Then the internet happened, and capitalism shuddered.... If you wanted something for free you could have it. Piracy suggests villainy of some kind, when in truth all that punters are doing when taking something for free is "taking something for free". It's like lifting a leaflet, or taking one of those samples of cheese from Tesco's deli counter. It's what people do. There's no malice in it.Now, on first reading, it might seem just like a mealy-mouthed self-justifying screed written by someone with plenty of entitlement and no self-awareness, but you'd be wrong. What it actually is is the Best Philosophy Ever, and one which I intend to live by from now on. You see, when you help yourself to other people's stuff you're not nicking it and there's no malice in it, you're just taking it for free. Clearly there's a difference.
Now, given that most of the most ardent downloaders and filesharers I know also tend to be lefties who believe in things like welfare and socialised healthcare, this attitude gives me the ammo I need to get away with, well, anything I like really. You see, when I lie about my employment status to get the dole, I'm not a benefits cheat, I'm just taking the welfare state for free. And when I decide my money is better off in a trust fund in Guernsey rather than being paid into the treasury, I'm not avoiding tax. I'm taking the NHS for free.
Frankly, this is just awesome. I'm going to have so much fun with this one.
Oh, and that time with your girlfriend? I wasn't having an affair with her, I was just taking her for free.
*Who I would be a great deal happier with if he'd taken a moment to use a LJ name I could spell.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2012-08-02 10:09 am (UTC)JmC
And some of 'em were older than me and all.
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Date: 2012-08-02 10:11 am (UTC)Tsk. How are the mighty fallen.
ps. movie this weekend?
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Date: 2012-08-02 11:00 am (UTC)And Saturday lunch-type time? What film? Seen Spiderman and DKR (both mildly disappointing). MIB 3, Ted, Hunger Games, Magic Mike?
JmC
Shazam
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Date: 2012-08-02 11:02 am (UTC)I'll keep you posted.
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Date: 2012-08-02 11:30 am (UTC)And yes, keep me posted.
JmC
Oiled an ready
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Date: 2012-08-02 11:51 am (UTC)~X~
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Date: 2012-08-02 12:31 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-08-02 12:36 pm (UTC)Tough choice.
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Date: 2012-08-02 12:54 pm (UTC)Just...wow.
As a leftie, I believe that people should get paid for work they do. That's kind of a no-brainer for me. I used to pirate music when I was poor and DJing but stopped doing that a few years ago. Nowadays I either buy music digitally from Amazon or, yeah, get the CD. Likewise movies, where I'll go to the cinema and/or buy it on DVD/Blu-Ray.
With TV shows, I'll download them to watch as they're broadcast and then buy the DVD when it comes out, unless it's being shown on British TV in a fairly timely fashion where I'll watch that for preference.
Euch. I think I might have grown up on this issue.
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Date: 2012-08-02 12:56 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-08-02 12:56 pm (UTC)We all take it for free. At the point of use. *grin*
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Date: 2012-08-02 12:59 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-08-02 02:01 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-08-02 02:13 pm (UTC)I thought it was parody, until l read the website of the bozo who wrote it.
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Date: 2012-08-02 02:27 pm (UTC)That article was hilarious, written by a total douche-nozzle. I hope no one is paying him for any services, they were robbed!
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Date: 2012-08-02 02:29 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-08-02 02:35 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-08-02 02:40 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-08-02 02:52 pm (UTC)How does permission even fall into this "taking X for free", is that where the person you've started taking something for free starts paying you to do it, or just sells you as you're doing it...
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Date: 2012-08-02 03:02 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-08-02 03:11 pm (UTC)So is "moron".
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Date: 2012-08-02 03:17 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-08-02 03:19 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-08-02 04:29 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-08-03 08:44 am (UTC)