Re: pirate bay, w3m, and the interface is just an interface (BEST post ever)

[Óscar Fuentes]

Paul Rankin <paul@tilk.co> writes:

> Óscar Fuentes <ofv@wanadoo.es> at 00:46 on 15 Dec 2014:
>
>> Paul Rankin <paul@tilk.co> writes:
>>
>>> History has been full of groups who use their majority to arbitrarily
>>> strip the rights away from a minority. They had ways of rationalising it
>>> away too. Just be sure of who you're aligning yourself with.
>>
>> I suspect you have the typical capitalistic, myopic financial interest
>> on this topic. Otherwise is hard to understand why you say this things.
>
> I say these things because I believe that art is the closest we have to
> the sacred. It is the only thing that we have to enshrine what we
> collectively refer to as "humanity."

You have a very poor opinion of Humanity, if the closest we have to the
sacred if Justin Bieber, Mickey Mouse and C.S.I. (Only half joking: if
some kind of social covenant existed for not "pirating" that type of
products at all, the industry would instantly forget about those who you
do consider true artists.)

The existence of Art does not depend on schemas for maximizing profit.
Those who consider themselves artists are not entitled to thwart civil
rights for protecting their business models. Not to mention that those
that reap the lion's share on this bussiness are not artists at all.
They are artisans, on the best case, often "content producers",
sometimes just businessmen.

Art (whatever it means) existed for all human history. Only recently was
possible for "artists" to become instant millionaries because of the
capability of mass-producing the physical or virtual media that carry
representations of their creations. The technical landscape that made
that bussiness model possible is obsolete now, but they insist on
negating reality, regardless of the social consequences, just like any
other evil lobby.

And that's the most benevolent view of the matter. The vast majority of
artists have nothing to obtain from all this mess because they work as
their pre-20th century counterparts. They are the true artists, that
create because is what they soul demands, not because of becoming rich
and famous. We can know about their existence thanks to the same
technology that the industry wants to control and restrict. Oh, the
industry. Do you defend them too? Do you think that Art is benefited by
the entertainment industry?

> Politically I'm of a socialist leaning.

That would explain why you think that an enlightened elite has the right
to impose its personal views on the People. For their own good, of
course.