Just a thought

[Rart]

Maybe I am just playing the devil's advocate here, but I think it's something interesting to think about, maybe help us put things in perspective.

I think a lot of us have seen the "You wouldn't steal a car commercial" (and if you haven't, a quick youtube search will show you it), and we can all probably agree that they just take hyperbole to a whole other level.

But that got me thinking: what about the little things? If you think about it, they only put the serious anti theft measures on the more valuable things. What about, say, a soda can? A bag of chips? Anything small, perhaps at the nearest convenience/drug store.

I don't know about you guys, but at least to me, a little part of me somewhere, tells me that it is really, genuinely "wrong" and I would never, ever consider taking it without paying for it. Its certainly marked in my books as "taboo", and I've never done it before in my life.

Then it begs the question: exactly how is that different from pirating files? They're both rather cheap, inconsequential items in the grand scheme of things. Similar to pirating files, no one would really notice. You could probably get away with it rather easily and no one would bat an eye. Does that make it any worse than pirating files then?

You could say that you don't like paying for songs/movies/games that aren't up to your standards, but will pay for files that "deserve" it. Do soda cans or chips deserve it either? Relatively bland and uninspiring in design, often simply derivatives of other brand names. No "effort" was spent into making them worthwhile. Should we not pay for them either?

You could say that you don't like supporting the behemoth corporations that ultimately end up profiting the most from the entertainment industry, grossly overcharging us at the same time. So does that mean we should be supporting the few, behemoth corporations that manufacture the large majority of snacks and drinks? Relatively easy and thoughtless to create, and at only a few cents, if that, mostly to create the packaging, they seem to be profiting grandly as well for there efforts. Does that, too, mean we shouldn't pay for them?

So why exactly do we take to "stealing" files so lightly while being so sensitive to real, physical objects? Are we unfairly desensitized to items that we can't physically grasp? Thoughts?

[Funkin']

So why exactly do we take to "stealing" files so lightly while being so sensitive to real, physical objects? Are we unfairly desensitized to items that we can't physically grasp? Thoughts?

Because there's a very small chance that we'll get caught. Unlike stealing a physical object from somewhere like a drug store.

[Night0wl]

When you steal small items from a store, you are actually robbing the story of money. While you can't be sure that this exact item would be bought, the store has still paid for said item and will have to restock said item.

When you download something, you get this funny word added to the above. When you download something, you are "potentially" robbing someone of "potential" money, that could be "potentially" made. Since said item isn't physical, someone else can buy this exact item, the "store" hasn't lost anything, and will not have to restock anything.

[megabyteme]

Do you feel guilty going to a library and borrowing a book? Does your viewing of a movie diminish the product in any way? Should you pay each and every time you listen to a CD? Is it OK to lend books/movies/CDs to friends? If so, how many? Do you need a judge to determine how many friends you can "legally" lend a media item to friends? These are all unsettled questions that need to be answered before the corporations get to lock down all media.

You should be able to find one of my posts discussing the comparison between filesharing and a library. It got buried in the general filesharing section, so only a handful of people read it. Maybe that will ease your troubled mind a bit...

[Canadiense]

Yes, the libraries here let you take home movies and also let you download audiobooks right from their own website.

With digital media, there is no "theft", like in the sense of stealing a physical object. It's a copy.

The blank media tax/levy is used to compensate for this copying, and the funds are allocated to content producers.

[1000possibleclaws]

When we reach singularity I'd pirate a car in a blink, if I could. I steal only because its super easy, and with the current laws it makes most sense.

[ca_aok]

As has already been said in this thread, copying =/= stealing. If you walked into the store and could somehow make a copy of that soda can while leaving them the original can, then it'd be the same thing.

[YoYoY]

As has already been said in this thread, copying =/= stealing. If you walked into the store and could somehow make a copy of that soda can while leaving them the original can, then it'd be the same thing.

Well , the man who copied the soda here should have paid for it in the first place and this makes the store loses money and the soda company as well.
everything everyone downloads was meant to be sold not to be copied. so instead of selling 100 copy of a movie or a video game , you just sell one and he gives it to the other 99.

[megabyteme]

As has already been said in this thread, copying =/= stealing. If you walked into the store and could somehow make a copy of that soda can while leaving them the original can, then it'd be the same thing.

Well , the man who copied the soda here should have paid for it in the first place and this makes the store loses money and the soda company as well.
everything everyone downloads was meant to be sold not to be copied. so instead of selling 100 copy of a movie or a video game , you just sell one and he gives it to the other 99.

Do you honestly believe everyone who downloads something would have been willing/able to pay for it? Not even close.

Do people feel less guilty downloading a show/movie/game that contains product placements? How about the people who paid for that bit of media- should they feel screwed that they paid full price AND were fed a commercial, too?

Last I checked, the movie industry was expanding all over the globe AND Hollywood keeps setting record profits on one movie after another. I don't feel sorry for them, nor do I feel guilty. If I had to pay anything for a Hollywood movie, I wouldn't care enough to watch it.

[Disme]

Pirating movies and filez is the same as stealing, indeed.

The chance of getting caught and facing the consequences of those actions are completely different when actually stealing in a store or pirating a file.

Most (younger) people tend to find it normal to pirate stuff. There's a growing consensus that pirating files is aok. Physically stealing something is still condemned by most educated people.

It is because of the general perception people start to feel differently about the two kinds of theft. A lot of people claim that entertainment company's make tons of money and are charging to much for their movies/games/softwares and the likes.
But ask yourself ... isn't a company like 'Coca Cola' making enourmous amounts of money by selling their beverage?
Why don't we all run to the store and go stealing our cans of Coca Cola?

It's like smoking ... 40 years ago you were supposed to smoke in the U.S.A. You were a douche when you didn't smoke. That was the general idea of the whole population. I think we all know how the general idea about smoking is nowadays. Smoking has become very 'not done' and is seen upon as bad.