Getting What You Want
Is it thieving when you download copyrighted music and video? Depends on your definition of stealing. If that definition emphasizes the taking from others, the act of having deprived from someone what was taken, then no. Yet if it the definition hangs onto the act of taking of what is not yours, then yes, copying copyrighted content is theft. A broader view would encompass the theft of control: the taking of creators control over her or his creation.
Forget the silly debate about definitions of stealing. The widespread downloads of copyrighted content is wrong without regard to subtle interpretations of words. It is obvious. The issue is not the deprivation of the victims, the content owners; it is the careless and selfish greed, the heinous motivation running unchecked, that is wrong.
It is not about big companies versus little people. It is not about freedom of speech and ideas. It is about you gratifying your desire to be entertained at your terms, come hell or high water. Careless disregard for the social contract, not thinking beyond what ‘I want when I want it, I’m going to download whatever I want because I can’.
That attitude isn’t just only wrong, it is destructive, careless, and ugly. I am not going to torrent copyrighted shows I want to watch. Those that would lack a degree of selflessness and various other valuable virtues we can never have enough of.
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