Given that no one makes a fuss about it when corporations do the stealing, I think so.
this post was submitted on 19 Jan 2025
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Piracy: ꜱᴀɪʟ ᴛʜᴇ ʜɪɢʜ ꜱᴇᴀꜱ
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When you download music online for free and prevent the company from making a profit off of a creative work by the artist, that they prevented from making a profit & royalties, is that wrong? Doubtful. You can always send the artist money directly if you want to support them.
perhaps the only ethical consumption under capitalism is that which denies capitalists their profit.
No, it’s not like stealing a physical item from a store.
I'd argue stealing physical items from massive corporations is also morally acceptable. If you shoplift from a small mom & pop store, you're actively hurting your community, however, if you shoplift from Wal-Mart, you're actively hurting an entity which is hurting your community, therefore helping your community.
If you shoplift from a small mom & pop store, you're actively hurting your community
Unless you're part of a riot, then it's okay.
Shoplifting from Walmart hurts my knees because the boss won't believe that our onhand numbers are wrong and makes me check high and low before I can nil pick it 🥲
This isn't an ethical argument against shoplifting btw, this is an ethical argument in favor of nuking Walmart
Staling sustinence from societal cancer is practically an immune response.
The number of examples of media becoming unreachable to paying consumers keeps growing.
Warner Brothers (Max) is the greatest example of this. Years of content from Cartoon Network just disappeared, leaving the consumer no legal avenue to enjoy some of their favorite shows.
I do not advocate for piracy. I advocate for archiving.
I do not advocate for piracy. I advocate for archiving.
Exactly. And if the assholes make it illegal for librarians, well then yo ho ho.
I've said it before, and I'll say it again. If buying isn't owning, then pirating can't be stealing.
I would like to suggest an alternate perspective, that digital media be beholden to protocols not platforms.
In other words lets focus on the drivers of competition...most evidence suggests that piracy goes down in response to easily accessible and affordable market conditions.
most evidence suggests that piracy goes down in response to easily accessible and affordable market conditions.
The assholes know this too. We're about due for another round of deshitifcation, just long enough to restore complacency.
Stealing a physical item from a giant corporate store is also always morally acceptable.
Having power neurologically suppresses empathy. Therefor resources controlled by the powerful will on average be used more harmfully. Taking resources from the powerful reduces total harm done.
You will use a loaf of bread less harmfully than Walmart will use the profit from it.
PIRACY IS BAD AND ONLY BAD PEOPLE DO IT.
I’ve never pirated anything in my whole life!
Good thing you said that, I was about to send some agents to have a "nice chat" with you.
"stealing" a digital copy of a movie, tv show or a game is like if the item you're stealing from a store is infinitely copyable.
What if it's a physical Blu-ray? Those are infinitely copyable.
The only person stealing is the one who circumvents the DRM and shares it. It’s not stealing to see or hear something.
Can you further expand on why you think it's bad? I'm generally curious.
and steal other things as well