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Discussion on: Stealing Isn't "Sharing"

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codemouse92 profile image
Jason C. McDonald • Edited

This whole time, I've been trying to distill the concept of theft down to its purest form to draw the parallel, because yes, there isn't anything exactly identical to piracy. It's unfortunately how many criminals justify their behavior, even in court: "the law doesn't explicitly state that this particular flavor is illegal". Think "spirit of the law," not "letter of the law," and the apparent "flaw in reasoning" (due to a subtle legal dissimilarity) becomes, in the very least, irrelevant.

But I digress. (I've never cared much about tip-toeing.)

I agree (mostly) about the psychological aspect, although maybe the "secret" analogy won't work for some (they'd say: "then you shouldn't have published").

For me, that psychological impact feels like someone is telling me "Your work is good enough, so I'll take it, but you are worth nothing to me, so I won't pay you for those years of effort." It's incredibly dehumanizing.

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wingman87 profile image
Michele

I agree.
That's exactly what their actions are saying.

Sometimes I think a concept is so plainly basic that I find it difficult to define it.
I think "piracy is harmful" is one of these concepts and it's really hard to properly explain it.

You made some really good points, thank you.

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