Transferred from paxdora.blogspot.com [LINK]
Original Post Date: 7/19/11

They say that there are cultural and societal factors that influence a persons decision to pirate software. China is frequently used as an example, due to the cultural feelings of segregation from their authority figures. However, have any of these researchers studied the cultural impact of their own culture? Everyone's always interested in other countries, but never their own.

In Europe and North America, the common excuse for piracy is "because the game is too expensive." But they don't actually have to play the game at all. It's a conscious decision, but they choose to break the law. I think people use this excuse because they really don't understand the underlying reason WHY they are pirating in the first place.. without deep introspection, it's just the best answer that makes the most logical sense.

The reason people pirate is because it's easy. And you have been trained since birth to always take the easy path. In fact, the same people who tell you it's acceptable to pirate are the same ones who punish you for pirating.

* Our society encourages over consumption, self entitlement, and excess.
* Music encourages us to take the path of least resistance. Life is easy, do whatever you want, do what makes you feel good, always take the easy route.
* Movies, books, TV, and advertising (Nike's "Just Do It") all tell us the same thing.
* You're beautiful, so you don't need to work hard for anything in your life and everything should be handed to you.
* Educational and school systems have been systematically manipulated to make it easier for students to advance in grade. These changes were made due to the laziness of teachers and parents, neither of them want to put in any hard work to fix the student.
* Television raises our kids because it's hard work to play with and raise them ourselves. This is the same television that also bombards us with messages of easy living and avoiding hard work.
* Pharmaceutical companies produce drugs to make life easier.
* You don't need to work out or even word hard to lose weight, just use this easy exercise device or eat this pill.
* Laws are relaxed to make it easier on justice and enforcement systems.
* Video games are given difficulty levels to make it easier for certain people.
* Video games have built in cheat codes to make the game easier. Game developers leave these cheat codes in, and encourage players to take the easy path.
* Kids shows tell children to relax, have fun, enjoy life, do whatever you feel like.. but don't work hard.
* Kids shows also teach that it's perfectly acceptable to copy someone's work or art. "It's okay to copy, because that makes it extra special."
* More increases to social assistance; let's help even more people who don't want to work.
* Tools are created not to make a job more efficient, but rather to make it easier for the worker.
* Blizzard constantly nerfs World of Warcraft to make it easier for more players. It's too hard for them boo hoo :(
* It's so common everywhere else that the term "nerf" has entered mainstream language.
* Our society idolizes people like Mark Zuckerberg for theft and lack of work. More and more people want to be like him.. who needs an education or work hard when you just take the easy way out and steal it from someone else who worked hard? Fictional and non-fictional gangsters are idolized in the same way.
* Television and film glamorizes self entitlement, being lazy, and doing everything as easy as possible.
* There are popular books on how to marry rich and make your life easier.
* Lotteries, gambling, fortune telling, horoscopes, mediums, etc.
* Illegal drugs are an escape from reality. In order to make your life easier, you actually make it worse.
* We're taught to take credit for other people's work. That's just how the corporate game works after all.
* We're taught that if it's too hard then just give up.

Steam is a very good example of how making something easy has reduced piracy.

I wonder if any of these researchers have studied piracy within hard working families? I can tell you one thing; when you come from a hard working family, you're taught to earn your keep and nothing comes free. When piracy does happen, it's usually rare or due to ignorance.

Here's what I see;

You want to imprison or punish me for pirating.. but, I'm just the way you made me. And then right after you punish me, you tell me it's okay to do it again and again.