by Tdarcos » Thu Sep 08, 2022 6:23 am
Why is it that people who clearly are stealing want to rationalize it? For some reason - dislike of the price, unavailability, dislike of the distributor - you don't want to (or can't) pay for a movie or TV show. If you can't buy it because it's not available in your region, but you can get it through "unauthorized duplication" that would be one thing. But if you could otherwie afford it, but for whatever reason choose not to, admit you steal it and don't rationalize it away.
I'm not being "holier than thou," if you want to pirate stuff, that's your businessl I don't make or lose money from this activity by others. When I was young and broke I pirated software big time, I was both taking and distributing copyrighted software, as long as the person wanting to borrow from me knew how to make a copy without fucking up mine I'd loan them to anyone in the computer room in the library, to make their own copy. I only had to restrict one guy who fucked up one of my originals because he did it wrong. I still let him had copies, but he either had to supply the disks or buy them from me and I'd copy them.
Yes, I did say "buy them from me." If anyone copying software from me didn't have enough disks, I'd sell them mine at about 100% markup (bought disks for 50c (+3c tax for ones I bought retail, 0 for disks I bought for resale), resold them for $1, tax included. And yes, I actually did pay the sales and use tax to the California Franchise Tax Board. Part of the reason being, if I had a permit and never used it, FTB might cancel it. On the other hand, even if I was only paying ~$2.50 a quarter (6c * 40 disks) it's above zero so I have an operating account.
I never rationalized it at all. I could not afford software, so I stole it, and trafficked in pirated software with other broke college students. At least back then it wasn't illegal (redistribution without gain wasn't a crime).
Why is it that people who clearly are stealing want to rationalize it? For some reason - dislike of the price, unavailability, dislike of the distributor - you don't want to (or can't) pay for a movie or TV show. If you can't buy it because it's not available in your region, but you can get it through "unauthorized duplication" that would be one thing. But if you could otherwie afford it, but for whatever reason choose not to, admit you steal it and don't rationalize it away.
I'm not being "holier than thou," if you want to pirate stuff, that's your businessl I don't make or lose money from this activity by others. When I was young and broke I pirated software big time, I was both taking and distributing copyrighted software, as long as the person wanting to borrow from me knew how to make a copy without fucking up mine I'd loan them to anyone in the computer room in the library, to make their own copy. I only had to restrict one guy who fucked up one of my originals because he did it wrong. I still let him had copies, but he either had to supply the disks or buy them from me and I'd copy them.
Yes, I did say "buy them from me." If anyone copying software from me didn't have enough disks, I'd sell them mine at about 100% markup (bought disks for 50c (+3c tax for ones I bought retail, 0 for disks I bought for resale), resold them for $1, tax included. And yes, I actually did pay the sales and use tax to the California Franchise Tax Board. Part of the reason being, if I had a permit and never used it, FTB might cancel it. On the other hand, even if I was only paying ~$2.50 a quarter (6c * 40 disks) it's above zero so I have an operating account.
I never rationalized it at all. I could not afford software, so I stole it, and trafficked in pirated software with other broke college students. At least back then it wasn't illegal (redistribution without gain wasn't a crime).