Forget the legality of file sharing, in my opinion nothing is illegal until you get caught. This is an issue of quality. Most pirated downloads are crap.

How long have you had to wait for a download? How many computers have you crashed? And for what? Is that bootleg copy of “Showgirls” really worth it?

Your time is valuable and you deserve better. A real pirate wouldn’t stand for the second-rate garbage that gets passed around these days.

Someone put a lot of time and effort into that book you’re downloading. They poured their heart and soul into every word. (Not me, of course, because I have neither a heart nor a soul.) Did they do it for the love of writing? No, they did it for the money.

You don’t sling slurpees at 7-Eleven because you have a passion for slush that turns your tongue blue. It’s not any different.

Sean Parker thought he’d create a harmless little site where music lovers could go and share and no one would get hurt, right?
Wrong!

He ruined the music industry. Mediocre talent doesn’t need a record deal to become famous, they throw some tracks up online and voila … instant fame. Just ask Justin Bieber.

So you tell me, is it really that bad.

This has been one of the first rules of being one of the good guys for a very, very long time. Share and share alike; that’s what I always say!

Besides, artists do their thing for the love of the arts anyway. All they want is to reach more eyes and ears around the world. They want to spread their hearts and souls to enlighten and inspire others’ day to day lives.

Kindly Robin Hood types take precious hours out of their chivalric lives to make sure all art is available to everyone seeking it out, helping out all those charitable artists. Honestly, I think these folk should get more credit for all the hard work they do for the good of mankind.

That’s what I call virtue.

It’s also a nifty excuse to dress like a total stud – just like that Captain Jack Sparrow guy!

Don’t worry about how the artists make money. The funding they live off of is preordained, so whether or not they make a bajillion dollars off of a hobby, they’ll earn whatever they’re meant to.

If you think about it, the ones making the real fortune are those evil middleman corporations. Pirating frees up money that could potentially go to good-hearted non-profit organizations. Otherwise, it would all be lost to an evil CEO!

So get out there and join the divinity of sharing!