Would You Squeal?

[Edward]

Whoever this person sells this video to will hopefully see that it is not an original and report the crime themselves.

Here in the UK at least it's blatantly obvious when a DVD is a pirate. Plenty enough people are prepared to buy them as the pirate DVDs are available as soon as - often the week before - a film is officially released in the cinemas, and that's typically six months before the legit DVD is released. The norm seems to be they sell for the same price as, or a little more than, a cinema ticket. I guess some folks just prefer to watch at home.... me, I always loved the cinema experience.

 

[Baron Kurtz]

I see people on Walthamstow High Street handing over about £5 for a DVD. It's quite sad, really, to see the people selling the DVDs. I am almost certain that these are people who have been "trafficked". The haunted and hunted look in the eyes is something i haven't seen before. Sometimes I see the "distributer" and he seems like a tough nut. I am certain this is an organised crime, drug gang-type business.

I actually agree with the apparent policy of the police in not arresting all these chaps on the street. When you're forced into slavery with the threat of death constantly hanging over you, i can imagine you'd do anything to protect yourself - including selling pirated DVDs.

bk

 

[Edward]

Yes, I see the sense in that..... I'd also expect it to be much more of an effective strategy in the long run to go for the body of the hydra rather than individual heads....

 

[PA Dancer]

Here in the UK at least it's blatantly obvious when a DVD is a pirate. Plenty enough people are prepared to buy them as the pirate DVDs are available as soon as - often the week before - a film is officially released in the cinemas, and that's typically six months before the legit DVD is released. The norm seems to be they sell for the same price as, or a little more than, a cinema ticket. I guess some folks just prefer to watch at home.... me, I always loved the cinema experience.

I have noticed a few of those from the UK on ebay myself. There was a movie release by VH1 only played on VH1. It was never released on video. But....UK ebay'ers had it.

What I don't understand about the movie making industry, and this may be a little off topic, is it is cheaper to make a DVD than a video tape when releasing movies. Shippings costs are lower because of weight, so on and so forth...but when a new movie is relaeased on DVD we are playing approximately $20 dollars for that disc.

Now I can see why the writters are so mad and went on strike.
: )

 

[PA Dancer]

That is exactly what most criminals say when confronted.

Can you imagine a society where we let people do whatever they want because they believe they have a good reason to do it? :eusa_doh:

The law is all we have. Everything else is just personal belief. If it's not up to you to decide what is right or wrong for another, it is also not up to you to decide to ignore the law.


Squealing is not deciding what is right or wrong for another person. After all identity theft or sticking up liquor stores may be the right thing to some people. Squealing is doing the right thing about a definite wrong.

This is going to off topic.

I am in no way a criminal of any sort. I would never take anything from someone that did not belong to me.

I shop at places and don't care what something costs when I want it.
As long as that store has been good to me in the past and has given me good customer service, I will be loyal forever.

BUT.
Over ten years ago, I did not have these comforts.
I lived homeless, out of my car and didn't have the luxury of spending what I want when I want.
Even then, I never stole a thing.
But I'll tell you something...If I had a kid, and I didn't have enough money to feed it, and had no where else to turn....I would do what I had to do.

So going even more off topic.
If I saw someone stealing baby formula off the shelves of WalMart.
You better believe I am not saying a word to the store.

But, I will tell you, I would say something to that someone and try to help them find another way besides stealing.

 

[deanglen]

No, I wouldn't squeal, because I'm apathetic about anything that doesn't directly affect me, and because I wouldn't want to be thought of as a grass amongst the people I worked with. Happiness at work is worth more to me than a measly £250. Every time a coworker looked at me with disdain, or a room went silent when I walked in, I would always think to myself about how that was that my £250 had bought.

I know that to squeal would be the upright, decent, law-abiding thing to do, and I know I shouldn't care what coworkers think if I was to do the right thing. However, I also know I'd be miserable in a job where nobody felt they could talk to me for some schoolyard fear of me "telling tales".

I'd rather be popular than honest. Interestingly, I am neither.

An excellent anaysis of the dilemma one faces with this issue, fatwoul. Regarding the question of squealing to authorities if you see someone you work with pirating copyrighted works, and NOT the issue of stealing being wrong per se I would offer these words of Martin Luther from his Large Catechism:

"In the third place, what concerns us all, this commandment ["You shall not bear false witness agianst your neighbor"]forbids all sins of the tongue whereby we may injure or approach too closely to our neighbor. For to bear false witness is nothing else than a work of the tongue. Now, whatever is done with the tongue against a fellow-man God would have prohibited, whether it be false preachers with their doctrine and blasphemy, false judges and witnesses with their verdict, or outside of court by lying and evil-speaking. Here belongs particularly the detestable, shameful vice of speaking behind a person's back and slandering, to which the devil spurs us on and of which there would be much to be said. For it is a common evil plague that every one prefers hearing evil to hearing good of his neighbor; and although we ourselves are so bad that we cannot suffer that any one should say anything bad about us, but every one would much rather that all the world should speak of him in terms of gold, yet we cannot bear that the best is spoken about others.

Therefore, to avoid this vice we should note that no one is allowed publicly to judge and reprove his neighbor, although he may see him sin, unless he have a command to judge and to reprove. For there is a great difference between these two things, judging sin and knowing sin. You may indeed know it, but you are not to judge it. I can indeed see and hear that my neighbor sins, but I have no command to report it to others. Now, if I rush in, judging and passing sentence, I fall into a sin which is greater than his. But if you know it, do nothing else than turn your ears into a grave and cover it, until you are appointed to be judge and to punish by virtue of your office.

Those, then, are called slanderers who are not content with knowing a thing, but proceed to assume jurisdiction, and when they know a slight offense of another, carry it into every corner, and are delighted and tickled that they can stir up another's displeasure [baseness], as swine roll themselves in the dirt and root in it with the snout. This is nothing else than meddling with the judgment and office of God, and pronouncing sentence and punishment with the most severe verdict. For no judge can punish to a higher degree nor go farther than to say: "He is a thief, a murderer, a traitor," etc. Therefore, whoever presumes to say the same of his neighbor goes just as far as the emperor and all governments. For although you do not wield the sword, you employ your poisonous tongue to the shame and hurt of your neighbor.

God therefore would have it prohibited that any one speak evil of another even though he be guilty, and the latter know it right well; much less if he do not know it, and have it only from hearsay. But you say: Shall I not say it if it be the truth? Answer: Why do you not make accusation to regular judges? Ah, I cannot prove it publicly, and hence I might be silenced and turned away in a harsh manner [incur the penalty of a false accusation]. "Ah, indeed, do you smell the roast?" If you do not trust yourself to stand before the proper authorities and to make answer, then hold your tongue. But if you know it, know it for yourself and not for another. For if you tell it to others, although it be true, you will appear as a liar, because you cannot prove it, and you are, besides acting like a knave. For we ought never to deprive any one of his honor or good name unless it be first taken away from him publicly.
Thus you see that it is summarily forbidden to speak any evil of our neighbor, however the civil government, preachers, father and mother excepted, on the understanding that this commandment does not allow evil to go unpunished. Now, as according to the Fifth Commandment no one is to be injured in body, and yet Master Hannes [the executioner] is excepted, who by virtue of his office does his neighbor no good, but only evil and harm, and nevertheless does not sin against God's commandment, because God has on His own account instituted that office; for He has reserved punishment for His own good pleasure, as He threatens in the First Commandment, -- just so also, although no one has a right in his own person to judge and condemn anybody, yet if they to whose office it belongs fail to do it, they sin as well as he who would do so of his own accord, without such office. For here necessity requires one to speak of the evil, to prefer charges, to investigate and testify; and it is not different from the case of a physician who is sometimes compelled to examine and handle the patient whom he is to cure in secret parts. Just so governments, father and mother, brothers and sisters, and other good friends, are under obligation to each other to reprove evil wherever it is needful and profitable.

But the true way in this matter would be to observe the order according to the Gospel, Matt. 18, 15, where Christ says: If thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone. Here you have a precious and excellent teaching for governing well the tongue, which is to be carefully observed against this detestable misuse. Let this, then, be your rule, that you do not too readily spread evil concerning your neighbor and slander him to others, but admonish him privately that he may amend [his life]. Likewise, also, if some one report to you what this or that one has done, teach him, too, to go and admonish him personally if he have seen it himself; but if not, that he hold his tongue."



dean

 

[Bebop]

This is going to off topic.

I am in no way a criminal of any sort. I would never take anything from someone that did not belong to me.

I shop at places and don't care what something costs when I want it.
As long as that store has been good to me in the past and has given me good customer service, I will be loyal forever.

BUT.
Over ten years ago, I did not have these comforts.
I lived homeless, out of my car and didn't have the luxury of spending what I want when I want.
Even then, I never stole a thing.
But I'll tell you something...If I had a kid, and I didn't have enough money to feed it, and had no where else to turn....I wold do what I had to do.

So going even more off topic.
If I saw someone stealing baby formula off the shelves of WalMart.
You better believe I am not saying a word to the store.

But, I will tell you, I would say something to that someone and try to help them find another way besides stealing.

I certainly did not intend to say you are a criminal.

I shop where the price is best even though I don't have to. That does not make me cheap. It makes me careful with my money. You would not squeal because you feel you have no right to tell people whether they can steal or not and that does not make you a criminal.

I too would steal in order to keep my children alive (a little different than bootlegging a movie). I would expect someone to squeal on me and would not blame anyone that did. If they didn't I would be grateful. As an adult, I would hate to get a lecture from a stranger about my stealing. Either squeal on me or pretend you did not see me steal baby formula. Confronting children when they steal is another story.

 

[Paisley]

Having worked on occasional embezzlement cases at a CPA firm, I've heard the old "stealing for my kids" line. In one case I recall, the woman was really stealing to fund vacations and automobiles. How does that relate to stealing baby formula? It's probably easier than stealing cigarettes, lottery tickets and a six-pack of beer. That's been my observation. But if someone really does have to steal to keep their kids alive, if they are that close to the edge, then in the interest of their children, they should probably move in with their parents or call social services.

 

[PA Dancer]

I certainly did not intend to say you are a criminal.

aww...I know. : )