GAIA downloading wank.
There's a thread in GAIA Online asking people for their feeling on downloading anime. The title is, actually, "Your feelings on downloading anime". I prowl the thread pointing out to n00bs that'll never actually return to the thread pointing out that it's basically theft. No, you don't get to steal it just because it costs a lot. Ever hear tell of "Capitalism"? Let me play the world's smallest violin, just for you. In this thread, I've encountered one of the most tenacious opponents I've ever faced online; Geo_The_#000000_Wizard. According to some of my friends, he's been banned at least once, under another username; "Black Magician Zio". I'd link to examples of it, but Gaia disabled searching for a username's posts in the last update.

This is his first appearence, as far as I can find; Downloading is legally copyright infringement, and not the same as theft. Pay attention; it's only the one arguement he uses.

Except he's not a thief. He's a copyright infringer. Remember that regardless of dictionary definitions, the law draws a distinction between the two. Larceny and copyright infringement are in different classes of offense, and are handled on completely different bases with different burdens of proof.

And as for the rest of you, stop spreading FUD. Nobody is going to jail for pirating anime. Unless you're massively involved in for-profit piracy and selling on street corners, the closest you're going to come to a jail is seeing one on CSI.

Here he is saying that he's justified in his downloading because buying it would've been a waste of money.

[quoted posts about how he downloaded Advent Children, and was glad, because it was bad, and another poster saying that it still wasn't justified]
You miss the point. Because the content was such unadulterated, unmitigated horseshit, I'm GLAD that I DIDN'T support the company. I don't WANT to support any company that turns out stinkers like Advent Children. A member of another forum I frequent said about AC "I didn't pay anything to see this movie, but I'd like my money back." If I HAD paid to rent it or see it in a theatre, I'd be extraoridinarily pissed at both myself for supporting the creation of such drivel, and at the producers for creating the drivel in the first place.

Conversely, I discovered the bands Leaves' Eyes, E.S. Posthumus, and Therion by downloading, and now own albums by all three. Had I not downloaded their work to begin with, they would never have received my support and I would never have been able to experience the wonders of their art.

In this respect, piracy is the great equalizer. It cuts marketing and hype out of the equation and lets shit be acknowledged for shit and appropriately boycotted or ignored, and lets decent work be rewarded with praise, money, and those little mini-pizza things on the hors d'oeuvre trays at the office holiday party.

Pay attention, he'll use that last one later.
Here's my first, non-wanky response to one of his posts. His wanky response;

Oh, YOU'RE using the practical definitions. Well, excuse me. I had forgotten that your arguments hold more validity than those applicable in a COURT OF FUCKING LAW.

At this point, I actually had to stop reading for a few seconds.

And just because what someone does may offend your sense of morals doesn't justify people embarking on scaremongering campaigns to make others fear for their freedom over such an insignificant infraction as copyright infringement.

Tweedil is 120% right. Your moral campaigning isn't going to change shit about shit. In fact, congratulations, Uberdrive, you've just inspired me to pop onto my favourite Direct Connect hub and find me a nice, new, fresh LICENSED anime series to illegally download. Episode 1, coming right up. Wanna try for Episode 2? Or are you going to finally acknowledge that people are going to do as they please and leave them the hell alone about it?

This is the second time I recall that I've actually caused someone to perform the very activity that I've been campaigning against, out of sheer cussedness. The first was that furbashing thing.

FanficGuru says um, that makes no sense. Geo says that FFG just proved his point. FFG responds that it's irrelevant. Etc. Meanwhile, Tweedil The Philisoph[sic] says that the thread is pointless. I do not think the punctuation means what he thinks it means. And then another post, two down. Downloading is tracked to collect popularity data. (One of the few valid arguements I've seen from their side.)

Back at the ranch, I claim that I could use my definition in a court of law, among other things. Geo points out that I'd lose, and I'm misunderstanding him. Several of my responses to this and other posts. Tweedil wants the thread to die because the sides are using the same arguements, and responds to my post in his next. I manage to use a toaster in an analogy. And on and on for pages, up until the last few, when requested backup arrives, and Geo claims that downloading is helping to stick it to the Companies, who will stomp all over The Rights Of The Public if given half a chance. Except that according to him the Rights Of The Public=Fair Use. He even uses 29pt, red, underlined, bolded text. This is about where I realize that he's changed his sig;

In a court of law, copyright infringement is not theft. You will NOT go to jail for downloading anime. Anyone who tells you otherwise is a paid industry tool, an idiot, or clinically insane.

This is roughly the juncture when I realize that I should submit this thread to i_wank before long. He's still using the legal definition, nevermind that it has no relevance in a thread asking for personal definitions. This is also the first wank I've been in where I was inspired to start working on art for; specifically, the phrase "The Revolution Will Not Be Torrented". Oh, and by the way, the law does not need to catch up with the reality, and Slashdot debates it, so it makes sense.

Checking Geo's posts reveals that he promotes downloading. Since soliciting info that helps piracy is against Gaia's ToS, there's a good chance he could be banned soon...again.


There's also Xev-Sama, who pulls the old "It's small by comparison to, say, anything else.", "It's the system's fault!", and "Conveniently misinterpreting the analogy", "The money I spend will never actually reach the animators!" among others. And the indirect threat. See also the thread actually changing someone's opinion.

Yes, I have a female avatar. A lot of guys on Gaia do. A lot of men think Elijah Wood has pretty eyes. It means nothing.
/Addendum 040105: [/sarcasm]