The
Problem with Piracy
A
new movie comes out in theaters. Rather than getting out of your comfy chair
you decide to watch it online. Within seconds you are enjoying a great movie
without having to spend a dime. With technology like the Internet, miracles
like this are possible, but is it the right thing to do? This act of
downloading or enjoying content without paying for it can be referred to as
pirating. Pirating on the Internet hurts all of those involved. Without paying,
you are not only taking money from the makers of the content, but you are
preventing yourself from enjoying content that could have been made with your
support. Through the act of pirating no one is benefited and everyone is hurt.
I
watched a lot of television when I was younger and I always sought a copy of my
favorite shows on DVD. One of my favorite series is called Code Lyoko. In the later seasons, ratings were low and they would
air new episodes in a single time slot without any reruns or advertisements for
future episodes. I could tell that the series was going to end soon without
renewal and knew that I would want to watch it again in the future. I went
online to see if I could buy DVDs for my personal collection, but I was heartbroken
as I was unable to find anything. I delved deep into Google searching page
after page for something that I could buy that would allow me to enjoy my
favorite TV show. Throughout my researching I was able to find a source for
these episodes, but it was not the one that I was looking for. There was an
entire website where I could download, episode by episode, the entire show
absolutely free. I was excited when I first found this page, but I quickly
began to think through what I found. I
would be illegally downloading these videos and would be stealing from the
creators of the series that I loved.
When browsing this
website I began to seek advice on my beliefs about piracy. I subscribed to the philosophy
of paying for all of the music and movies that I enjoyed and this site directly
challenged what I believed in. With this deep topic in tow, I turned to my
parents and asked for their advice. We talked for a while about the issue and I
was able to get a better understanding about the matter. They gave me their
opinions and offered reasonable solutions such as emailing the distributor or
asking friends if they had a tape of a couple episodes. I took both of their
ideas into consideration, but I knew that none of my friends watched the show
nor did I ever think that an email from a kid would ever be read, let alone
responded to. I asked my friends for their opinions and they simply told me to
download it. I went back and forth with them and argued the moral implications
of the issue. I told them that they were stealing from the people that they
loved. They were preventing their favorite artist or movie producer from
creating more products for them to enjoy. I defended my belief strongly, but in
the end they argued that since there was no other way to acquire the episodes,
that I had the right to download them. They had a very narrow mindset and I was
unable to convince them of my belief, but in the end I could not accept their
viewpoint. I knew that I wanted to show my support for the series and I could not
simply download the episodes for free.
Whenever I think
about this event I am always proud of myself for sticking with my belief. I was
truly tempted by the ability to watch my favorite show again and I spent some
time deciding whether or not to break my ideas about piracy. The conversations
with both my parents and my friends helped me to see both sides of the coin as
well as possible solutions to my dilemma. The discussions that I had with them
helped me to solidify my belief and convinced me to stick to it. I was able to
defend my ideas with my friends and explained to them that not everyone saw the
way that they did. Although I prevented
the enjoyment of my favorite show and questioned myself about my choices, I
still was able to uphold my belief. I learned that even though I could be
tempted by these illegal downloads, I now know that I can shy away from the
temptation and I am able to stick to what I believe in. This is a truly
powerful characteristic and I am proud of myself for displaying it.
Piracy
is a problem across the world today. Almost anything can be downloaded without purchase
and it causes major uproar. Society is only hurt by piracy. By illegally downloading
anything money is taken from all aspects of the product and in the end society
has a lesser chance of further enjoyment of future products due to lack of
revenue. In my experience I found out that piracy can be tempting, but we as a
people need to learn to purchase the products we love. By buying products we
can show companies that we truly enjoy what we are purchasing and they can make
more. With the element of piracy involved we must resist the urge to download
something and instead prove our love with the one thing that companies love
most: money.
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