Abm0raz's Journal: Most mediocre troll ... EVAH!

In response to Fort Knox's journal entry:

It did seem a good post at first, until the end when t_m_p starts attacking his audience. Good job trolling. It's even more evident in his responses to the replies.

After reading the thread, I think I can sum up his argument as:
      1. "It's illegal to download copyrighted material without the owners permit and you are a criminal if you do it."
      2. "If you download copyrighted material and you support the GPL, you are a hypocrite."
      3. "There is no difference between the 'little guy' and 'big business' when it comes to the law"

This is all good, and totally true and not really arguable. But lemme propose the issue in another fasion:

$LAW prevents $PEOPLE from $ACTION which they think they should be allowed to do. In fact, it makes $ACTION illegal. $PEOPLE is not an insignificant proportion of the population. $POWER thinks the law is just and should be kept in place, if not strengthened even more. $PEOPLE are just criminals, miscreants, or other social problem groups. $PEOPLE actin in defiance declaring the law unjust.

I think that about sums t_m_p's original reasoning (using claarifications from his follow-up posts) into as generic an argument as it can get. In his argument:
      $PEOPLE = Filesharers (mostly students, but not all)
      $POWER = Media Corporations (RIAA, MPAA, broadcast and cable TV networks)
      $ACTION = P2P fileshahring
      $LAW = Copyright law

Now let's look at other cases that fill in the same blanks:
      $PEOPLE = 13 colonies
      $POWER = England
      $ACTION = representation in government
      $LAW = questionable taxation aand reregulation
or
      $PEOPLE = Women
      $POWER = Men
      $ACTION = Voting
      $LAW = Voting requirements
or
      $PEOPLE = non-land owners
      $POWER = Land owners
      $ACTION = voting
      $LAW = voting requirements (yes, if the laws hadn't changed, renting your home could've precluded you from the right to vote)
or
      $PEOPLE = Blacks
      $POWER = Whites
      $ACTION = just about anything
      $LAW = Jim crow, 3/5ths person, voting, you name it...
or
      $PEOPLE = workers
      $POWER = corporations
      $ACTIONS = forced unpaid overtime, company stores, child labor
      $LAW = pre-union, pre-OSHA, laws

My point is, that when enough people become alienated by a law designed to allow a small, elite group to stay in power, those people rebell. Sometimes in organized rebellions, sometimes in spontaneous unification.

I think t_m_p's entire post was on the money ... except the conclusions he drew from his listed facts, which were drawn up purely to get a reaction.

YHBT. YHL. HAND

-Ab

Yup

[Red Warrior]

He seems to assume "legal/illegal" and "moral[ethical]/immoral[unethical]" are interchangeable, which they are not.

In fact, I would argue that keeping laws on the books that we know the vast majority of people disagree with, and blatantly ignore does a disservice to the entire CONCEPT of law.

Re:Yup

[Abm0raz]

Wow. Did I ever tell you how much I hate you? :)

You took something that took me 500 words to say and said it better in 16. I'm so jealous.

No wonder I'm taking college level english for thh 5th time. *sigh*

-Ab

Re:Yup

[Red Warrior]

17. :-P

OTOH, you had some really good examples.

Of course, there are some other big differences. Copyright infingement is not "theft", it is copyright infringement. Theft involves depriving somebody of something that they previously had. (i.e. not POTENTIAL profits - they never had that.) This is far from an arguement that copyright infingement is a moral or ethical thing. Just that calling it theft misrepresents what is being discussed.

Also, comparing file sharing to GPL violations requires that one underst

Re:Yup

[SolemnDragon]

That wasn't your original work?

I'm crushed!!!! I'm gonna go tear down my RW posters and sell your autographed albums on Ebay!!! /runs away weeping, childhood dreams in tatters

*grin*