sibelius said:
Okay... point taken (even though we will probably never agree on several issues).
First of all, I'm sorry I came off as blanketing every college student like some theif. I was only talking about those that steal music. I wasn't trying to reference all students.
Second, copyright infringment is copyright infringment, stealing is stealing, but copyright infringment is not stealing. Copyright infringment CAN be stealing... depending on the infringment. That's one important item many people overlook.
Here is my big point (in all my blabbing): If you can't afford it what's wrong with waiting until you CAN afford it???? Is that so hard to understand for some of these people? Gangsters have a similar mentality... if they like you're shoes, or your ride... well... why not just put a cap in your head for it? Because they want it NOW and just don't want to bother with EARNING it.
Distributing music is, however, theft. People DO suffer. You might honestly believe that one REO Speedwagon song you downloaded for free is something you'd never have purchased anyway... so what's the harm?? Well, simply because we have millions and millions of people every day kidding themselves that very same way. They actually have trained themselves to believe that they can just download 'whatever' because they 'wouldn't have bought it anyway, so where's the harm?' The thing is... the more and more you do it, the less and less you see yourself in the position of wanting to 'buy' anything. 15 years ago I might have purcahsed a Janet Jackson CD. Today.... ehhhh... not really... so I'll just download it for free. Right? Wrong! The only difference between then and now is that I didn't have a pirating choice back then. There was no Napster... no P2Ps... so if I really wanted to listen to something I purchased it. You'd be suprised at just how much free time a student can muster up, and how much extra work they can do... if they want something bad enough. The thing is, we don't want anything bad enough any more. That's IT!!
Things don't hold value with us like they used to... because we've watered down their value so much over the years. And when you don't value something then you're not going to work hard towards it.
So I guess that's my whole point... we just don't value certain things like we used to -- we don't want anything bad enough to work for it. We have to have it NOW, we don't want it to cost anything, but we still want to not feel bad, so we just lie to ourselves.
sibelius
OK, point taken also. I agree, many people have quite a sense of entitlment, that is false. And, I agree, many people justify things by the "wouldn't buy it anyway" argument, who would, but I still mantiain that there is a certain ammount, that people wouldn't buy anyway, and I don't know for sure, but I know that for me, yeah, I'm not proud of it, but music is therapy for me, and I kinda do want it now, particularly as if I wait, there will only be more that I want, and can't afford. I figure I'll spend as much as I can, continually, and the rest I couldn't afford anyway. Particularly because, the more I have, the more I discover, and the more I end up buying. I'm not sure if this is universally true, but I do know, for me, I literally quadrupled, AT LEAST the ammount spend on music, when I went to college and started swapping stuff over LAN with friends. Also, I have much, much better taste in music now. But, I know that it's still not perfect that I have a bunch I haven't paid for, even though I really, do not have that money, or the time to earn it, at the moment. But, it provides me a lot of pleasure, and at realatively little moral cost, as I see it. I'd rather put my moral efforts into other places, just because I think their a bigger deal.
I mean, yeah, I admit, I gave more money one single charity than I spent on music, and pirated easily as much music, instead. (Conservation International, by the way, an absolutely amazing, really well thought out, effective environmental charity... has a great plan looking at things on the global level, analyzing what is most important to save, how best to do it, etc. and also has some really unique approaches that help the local communities (esp. preserving cultures, too), increase awarness on a global level, and preserve land with incredible biological diversity)
But, should I have not done that, and bought music instead? I don't think it's quite as important. Should I have just gone without the music that I couldn't afford because it went there? Well, yeah, it would have been better morally, but I just think it's a bit to miniscule, since I wasn't buying the music anyway. Or, should I have done what I did- support some amazing artists, and sadly not support others, but accomplish something else, in the process?
And, I know, no, I don't give all my money to charities, right now I'm debating going out to get ice cream because it is beautiful weather, and I want to indulge. But, I'm just saying, the moral advantage of buying music isn't really that much when compared to lots of other things, in my mind.
Now, I'm not going to engage in this debate anymore, because I think all here have given as much as they have to offer, and any continuation is simply shouting at a person who's already decided they arent' listening.
Not to mention, I don't have this much free time.
