stop piracy now!

Last night on television I saw my first anti-piracy commercial. My roommate and I almost laughed our asses off. Almost I say, because the commercial was just too painfully banal to be taken jovially. According to our esteemed friends at the RIAA and MPAA, music and video piracy is a leech on our proud capitalist society, threatening the livelihoods of millions of people, not just the artists (because it's the job of these corporations to rip off the artists, and we're encroaching on their turf), but all the staff behind the scenes: from producers, to tech support, to the stage hands. Now don't you feel bad for the misery you've incurred? Just like that one time you bought an eighth of weed and unwittingly funded the 9/11 tragedy? Give me a break.

It has become cliche now, but these are the same people who initially violently opposed VCRs, not realizing home video would become their greatest revenue stream. Commercials are all well and good, but when legislation passes that unfairly sacrifices personal rights for those of copyright holders, it is a whole other issue. If you have some spare cash, think about giving it to the EFF before handing it over to these wankers.