The original post made laugh out loud a few times. There are so many points I would counter, but I'll try to keep it as short as possible. (Spoiler Alert: I fail).

brian wrote:

It seems too good to be true. And in reality, it makes me wonder how ANY owner of copyright material can make profit, but it must be a very small number of us in the big scheme that know about the hidden wonders on the net

Remember, just because you steal everything without remorse, doesn't mean everyone else does. That's why some companies can, indeed, still make a profit--because not everyone is a thief. Most of us still work to earn money to pay for the stuff we get. Maybe not on this site, but in the real world, yes. And it's not because we can't figure out how to--you pointed out how easy it is yourself--it's because we view stealing as wrong. I also don't steal media because I do think people who create great products should be paid to do so so they'll want to continue doing it.

brian wrote:

I truly feel as though I'm lucky enough to be living in the 'Golden Age' of the internet, and that when I'm much older and much son/daughter is 15-20 years old I'll be saying, 'back when I was young...' and listing all the cool things I found on the net that just isn't available 'anymore'.

So you're lamenting the day when you'll have to tell your kids, "Man, back in my day you didn't have to pay for anything. It was great! People would spend all this time and money creating products and we'd just steal it. Them were the days." What a sense of entitlement...that everything should be available for free without working for it, and that people shouldn't try to make a buck on their hard work. Those aren't great values you'd be passing on. Kids learn from modeling, so if that's what you choose to show your kids (stealing is fine), then don't be surprised when that same kid gets picked up for shoplifting or jacking a car, or if they steal from you with a shrug and a "whatever" attitude.

brian wrote:

And all good things come to an end... we all had our fun doing this or that or the other thing before it became unavailable/illegal/etc...

Huh? It's illegal now. I repeat, it's illegal now. I realize that because it's on the internet a lot of people can justify in their brains that what they're doing is not stealing because it's already out there and somebody else has stolen it, but when you download something off the internet that the owner of the material would expect you to otherwise pay for, it is stealing. I'm not here to give shit to everyone who steals---I've downloaded ROMs to play in the NES Challenge on this site, I've watched porn online for free---but don't sugarcoat shit. Call it what it is. It's stealing.

brian wrote:

But really, the main issue for it seems to be that internet has gotten bigger, quicker than we can control it. And we all know Governments want to be the only controlling factor in human life, and will destroy any opposition/competition.

LOL. Okay, Glenn Beck. Look, the government is not out to get us. They set up these evil regulations and mind-controlling laws to protect people. And I, as a business-owner, am glad for it. I don't want every entitled little prick looking to steal my shit without consequence. If my business was primarily online, I sure as shit would want some regulations in place to protect my product so I could continue doing so for a living. I don't understand why guys like you don't understand that. Why is trying to earn money to support yourself and your family an evil thing?

Welcome to boards, brian! I've gone on far too long, but before I go I should say that even with this response it doesn't mean I dislike you. I just disagree with you completely on the point you were trying to make. Don't take this as a personal attack. Rather, consider it a statement on you and the hundreds of thousands of those who are just too smart for the system and steal media.

brian wrote:

Atma wrote: If the Government steps into the Wild West of the internet and attempts to control it, I believe people will be in a full uproar. And that sums up my point entirely... the 'Old West' is just that... The 'OLD' west... Life is no longer like that... government stepped in and put an end to it, cause they couldn't profit from it.

The Old West absolutely sucked for the average citizen. If you want anarchy or extremely limited government, go move to some Third World country and see how you do. This country rose to the greatest in the world partly because the government was able to tame the West and make it a functional part of the nation.

Jesus Christ, please don't tell me you're a history teacher or something, brian.

EDIT:

brian wrote:

Information should not be a BENEFIT for those who are lucky enough to make lots of MONEY. Information should be available to ALL.

Information, yes. Some video games or movies. No. They are not necessary to live or keep a functioning democracy. Boiling this down to a freedom argument makes you seem even more delusional than I thought.

It sounds like you really want to rationalize your choice to steal everything that you want. Not what you need...what you want. Again, you have a sense of entitlement that would make generations before us vomit. You do not have a right to the latest Call of Duty game. You do have the right to know what's going on in the world around you, though, so I definitely agree that information should be readily available to everyone.

People need motiviation to work, to be productive. Capitalism provides that. If you don't have a way to get to McDonald's, then maybe you don't deserve that non-food. If that's too harsh for you, grow up.

You keep bringing up Syd's site. You say you'd love a society where people just make shit and give it away. That's exactly what Syd does. He doesn't charge a dime because he chooses not to. If he did, he would have a smaller audience. If he chose to charge, that's his right. He has decided to give away his stuff for free.

I get the feeling that if we had a system where everyone just made stuff and gave it away, you'd /still/ be where you are now--sitting at home, consuming the media that is created, hardly contributing to it.

That song is free because Reznor has decided to give it away. It was his choice. He has every right to do that. It's the same as playing your single on the air for free--to get interest in the entire album.

You aren't really this unaware of how life works, are you?

I don't think you're Al Capone at all. It's obvious you aren't on his intellectual level. I would equate you to a looter, or a guy who sneaks a grope in on a chick in a crowd because you won't get caught.

I'm glad you have adopted this whole "everything should be free, even if we don't need it" philosophy. It obviously fits your lifestyle choices well and helps you cope with life. But don't pretend to understand where I'm coming from. FPS? You obviously do not know me well, good sir. I'd never buy one of those.

I think a lot of capitalism is wrong and needs to be monitored by our evil, blood-hungry government. But to completely eliminate it? Only an ill-informed person would view the alternative as a good idea for the world. Or a completely lazy fuck. Which one is it?