The point here is to call attention to the shutting down of an important conversation surrounding the misbehaviour of this man. I am not requesting immediate forgiveness of his transgressions, but an appreciation of the value of humanity. I do not believe in treating humans who act appallingly like malfunctioning tools. Even with defective items, we would attempt to fix them! With humans, we are willing to throw them away, discard them like so much rubbish.
Read moreWe're All Criminals
Human beings are so great at either ignoring reality, or bending it to make themselves feel better. The truth of it is, the majority of people whom own a computer steal things regularly. Even as I write this I find myself having to constantly fight the urge to feel that to steal a digital item is far more forgivable than walking into a shop and stealing a physical item.
What compounds this feeling is that it is different, because when you steal a DVD there is one less copy of that DVD. When you stream or download a movie, you haven't necessarily taken something from the world. The problem with this line of thinking is that you are looking at it in regard to what you have taken from other potential customers, rather than what you have taken from the creator. In both scenarios you are stealing from the person or persons who made the content you are now enjoying. Why is that not enough for us to realise its a crime?