I am an avid watcher of movies and series. I also listen to a huge variety of music, ranging from classical to metal to some techno or R&B.
I currently own, along with my beau, five complete tv-series and a couple of partial ones, with episodes numbering in the hundreds. We also own hundreds of movies spanning all thinkable genres. The reason I bring this up is because each and every one of those movies and series we went out and bought in a store.
Before we bought any of said movies, we watched them in a pirated or otherwise illegal version. We watched them on our computers in downloaded bittorrent format. (Illegal sharing, copying and distribution.) We watched them at our friends' houses without the consent of the distributors of the movie or we borrowed their copy of said movie. (Unauthorized lending, letting third parties watch the movies.)
My point is that most of those movies would not have been purchased at all if it hadn't been for "illegal" actions on our part or on the part of our friends.

So this is where I wonder if the corporations understand today's world at all. They say we are criminals for doing what we do. But who are they to dictate right and wrong to us? How can it be that the majority of the world can be made into criminals like this? Who makes those laws and who do they protect?
I don't watch TV much. I like to be in charge of what I watch and when, and whether or not I want to have breaks in my entertainment. I understand that a lot of people my age and younger do the same. It's easier, just as fast and neatly controlled to just download the next episode of your favorite show, so why not do it?

The step of the big label corporations to criminalize free distribution and their tremendous efforts to immoralize that option are completely self-defeating and wrong. They are trying to change the environment to suit them, rather than adapting themselves to it.
By suppressing the individual's right to distribute and handle their copy of the media they are attempting to crush the biggest word-of-mouth advertising trend ever to exist.
Instead of fighting it, they should be offering medium-quality non subtitled versions of their movies in bit-torrent format (Or some other format as easily downloadable) and make it available to anyone who wants it. For free. Then they could offer their high-quality versions with a billion subtitles and extra material for sale on disks and a more slow download rate. They should allow us to do with our purchases as we please. If I buy a DVD, I should be able to resell it when I get tired of it, show it to my friends if I want to and quote it and show parts of it in other productions as long as I give credit where credit is due.

True, corporations might suffer if they can't sell as much of their respective media as they'd like, but from my experience, it's not the pirate industry that is preventing them from making money, but rather their inflexible, stagnant marketing strategies and legislation. Their stifling attitude and failure to understand their customers that will lead to their undoing.

The reason why most of us would rather download the latest pirate version of any media than go out and buy it in the store is because it is faster, easier and, let's face it, free.

Figthing the "system"

Since we were little we've always been told to accept the system.
"It's just the way things are", "It might seem harsh and unjust but it is the best solution", "There's nothing you can do about it" and "Going against the system will only make it worse".

I live in what is considered a free society and have done so all my life. I grew up in the Faroe Islands. It doesn't get much more remote than that. It's the Nordic country with the highest pollution per capita. Not because we pollute much. There's just very few of us.
Then I went to Norway to attend a school which represented all the basic human values. Equality, International Friendship, Justice... You name them. The school took two years to complete and it removed my innocent view of life. Until I went there I thought I could change the world. Until I went there I lived in the profound belief that people were "good" deep down inside.
I then moved to Iceland. I've always wanted to live here. It was a plan you see, when I finished my "college" education, I would go to Iceland to study. I wanted to get to know the culture, experience a country that was like an elder brother to my own society.
The reason I am sharing part of my life's story here, is that I want you to understand that I have encountered several different systems in my life.

I am not going to say that all of this was wasted. It really wasn't. It's just that I am sick of meeting system after system that is equally flawed. System after system that is not created to ensure our rights but to limit our movement. System after system that requires us to make sacrifices for minimal benefit.

So how come the system has to be this way?

True, there is only one of me, but there is also one of you, one of all your friends and my friends, one of each of everyone around us. I am one, we are many.

You might find that my use of the word "system" is wrong. by System, I mean government, authority, anything that you feel is controlling your life in a way that you disagree with. "System" just feels like a good word to encompass all that. Even if it is a bit cliche.

The main thing about opposing the current state of things is that you need to have a clear idea of what should replace it. If you don't have one, and have it in a way that is easily expressible, you can't expect others to take you seriously, and remember that you need to become a "we" not an "I" if your protesting is to work. You alternative should take into account legal issues, moral issues and anything else that might affect the matter at hand. Remember, that just because the law is against your proposal doesn't mean that it's invalid. Perhaps the law needs changing too. (On the other hand, sometimes this means that you should drop the matter entirely and go back to watching football and styling your hair.) (Not that I do either of these, but you never know. Perhaps someone else does.)

Then you need to present your new alternative solution. This stage is crucial. You need to consider that not everyone will agree, and this is where you need to convince them. Forget about a quick surgeon-like incision and a painless change. It will take time. If you rush it, it will fail, and all will be for the worse of it.

If you are convinced that your idea is better than the current system, present it to others. Discuss it. Allow it to be debated and improved. An idea lasts only as long as it is debatable. Otherwise it becomes fanatic which just sucks for everyone.
So, so far, we've established that Planning, Informing and Discussing is important. What more is needed?

Get of Your Arse and Get Shit Done!

It sounds easy doesn't it? The annoying thing about challenging the system is that it takes a lot of time, and it will be a straining, tedious task most of the time. You need to work your way through it somehow, and if you can't muster up the steadfastness to see it through, then you probably never wanted to change anything from the start, you just wanted somewhere to point your anger and frustration. My advice: Go write angry poetry for a while then wait a couple of years and return when you stop hating your parents.

Oh, and never, ever use the least bit of violence! Violence is just a big dumb brick and is destined to ruin your venture before it has a chance to begin. You don't get anything good out of violence except perhaps if you need ice cubes out of one of those annoying freezing thingies.