Great Article about Who are the Real Pirates

I’m Really Getting Fed Up About This – And You?

As a consumer, I've bought music...on 45 and 33 rpm vinyl records, then on tape (yes, I missed the 8-Track phase as well as the Laser players), and onto CDs. Next stop: MP3 digital on the computer. How many times do I have to buy the same old songs? And, believe me, you "have to” buy it again because copying it from one format to another - well - there's just so much of that a song will stand. I repeat: How many times must I buy it?

The answer to that is: I have to repurchase whenever the entertainment industry decides to "rip off" America one more time by making obsolete the present formats and forcing something new on us. This is not considered illegal - but copying your older stuff from one format to another borders on "cheating" the artists out of their "much deserved revenues"! Oh, and don't dare make a copy of an old song for your friend that’s out of work and can't afford to "repurchase" their collection in the new format - that's pirating!

The entertainment industry can make whole collections obsolete by refusing to sell and or, support the equipment you need to play it with. Somehow, this dishonorable habit flies below the radar of ethics. The Powers That Be determined that re-inventing the industry every few years would help keep the American economy healthy while providing security for Americans jobs – wink…wink! This is how we justified being wasteful with our resources, and for making “sub-standard” equipment that would not last longer than the planned obsolescence of seven years.

But there’s a few flaws in this plan. Look around. The Japanese have taken over manufacturing these new “innovative” machines. And, the support or help-line jobs have been out-sourced to places like India. Many major companies are keeping their main offices “off-shore” to avoid paying their fair share of American taxes. Now, in the “aftermath” of this “wink…wink” understanding, how stable is our American economy? Aren’t we also suffering a severe unemployment rate? Makes one wonder just whose side these Powers That Be are on, huh?

Nevertheless, such is the reasoning that may soon make your CD and DVD collections obsolete! Almost humorously, in direct opposition, news headline bid us to feel sorry for these people of the Entertainment Industry who are complaining about losing billions of dollars in potential profits this past year due to piracy.

When an industry artificially manipulates the availability of equipment - they have no right to moan about loss! After all, when they stopped selling phonographs in favor of tape decks, and stopped selling tape decks in favor CDs, and cut into CD sales in favor of digital equipment – iPods, MP3 players, etc. they callously kicked entire collections to the curb that depended on those earlier formats. And why? So they could exploit their customer base and sell the same old stuff they've sold before - in the "more modern" formats!

Now, it's movies...remember Beta tapes? Remember VHS? Sure, DVDs are still popular, but how long before Blu-Ray or some other format push into obsolescence the very equipment you need to play your collection on now? That’s one of the goals of Blu-Ray – to have all new movies come out “only” in Blu-Ray! So, you will “have to” buy their format or lose out. We, the consumers, continue to sit silently, while the Entertainment Industry shouts about how badly "they" are being ripped off!

Shouldn't we demand that someone start reporting how these "would-be victims" have been victimizing the consumer - under the guise of "new and improved"? Here we are with all digital formats and we're being told that vinyl - the old 33s and 45s - have better sound! Best Buy is actually clearing space to start selling vinyl records again! New and improved - yeah - right?! They're the victims - only in the headlines! In truth, we’re the victims - you and me! It’s time to acknowledge that.

Originally, I had no opinion about “pirating”. But, I’m an American. You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to realize that Americans “share”. That’s our nature. We’re a generous people. And, it seems, the less we have, the more we are apt to share it. If someone who has cancer says they wish they could see a particular movie, do you really think someone else won’t rip off a copy of that movie and give it to them ease their suffering? Anyone telling them they aren’t “legally” allowed to do that, amounts to telling them that they can’t show “mercy”! The Entertainment Industry should figure it out – You don’t legislate morality or human kindness. Calling such a person a “pirate” only alienates their customer base and further erodes good will. Having people publicly arrested, fined and imprisoned for piracy, isn’t an effective deterrent to others? That’s creating martyrs! And, changing the minds of people like me who previously had no opinion on the subject.

In the aftermath, I find that I’m not really all that offended by people pirating DVDs and CDs. It means that something is finally being “Made in America” again!

The Golden Rule says that you are to do unto others as you would have them do unto you? Well, then, where is the real basis for complaint against “pirating”? The Entertainment Industry has employed a “wink…wink” strategy that has severely “harmed”, not helped, America. And, they intend to keep right on employing it! They don’t care if we suffer because of it. All that matters is their bottom line! Pirates are children of their own thinking – doing exactly the same thing to them that they are doing to us. So, where’s the problem?

Microsoft gave us Vista…a software that meant you had to replace older peripherals like your scanner, printer, etc. in order to use it. This was a way of “forcing” consumers to buy new equipment. America responded by simply “not” buying Vista! With that, even a company of the magnitude of Microsoft had to stop and listen to the consumer!

It may be wise to think twice about buying a new format. Ask yourself who, exactly, is it profiting? At what ultimate cost? We get fairer treatment and better products when we hold out for fairer treatment and better products. Who knows, someone might even have an epiphany and offer a “free” 5 year warrantee on their product? (Okay, I’m reaching!)

But do remember, whether they like it or not: Your dollars are “your vote”! Use them wisely.

Mary Cahill - age 63 - A Baby-boomer