The Anti-Piracy Ad Your Tax Dollars Paid For
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DvQFnSnhg7U
I’ve watched this about five times now, and I’m still not sure I can believe it’s real. It’s an ad made by the National Crime Prevention Council (the guys who invented McGruff the crime dog) and it’s supposed to discourage you from piracy.
The premise is that when you buy a counterfeit DVD on the street, your money goes to support everything from child slave labor to gang violence to terrorism. As goofy as that premise may be it’s at least REMOTELY plausible, as I’m guessing those shady street vendors have a few even shadier connections, but this has NOTHING to do with online piracy because honestly, it’s 2011, are people seriously still buying burned copies of DVD on the street?
Piracy may not be a good thing, but it sure as shit isn’t supporting child labor or gang violence. There’s no “couple bucks” being paid as the ad says, and I’ve never heard of anyone getting rich off of being a master torrent uploader.
There are certain types out there that still purchase burned DVDS. How shall I put this… They are the type of person that doesn’t typically own a computer because they can’t budget their money properly. Probably because they are wasting it buying $10 burned DVDs.
And if you download a movie online, the Russian mob leeches some of the bandwidth you use, and sells it to Al-Qaeda.
I like the multiple racial stereootypes they employ and the seemingly forced presence of an asian and black couple.
@Patty and a lack of a certain ethnicity in the “crime and violence” grand scheme of things……
i don’t think they meant the dvd piracy for the child labor, more brand piracy on clothing, like the fake bags (the shit hanging in the back @ the dvd selling dude)
I have heard that Asian bootlegs are mass-produced by Triad and Yakuza gangs. That kind of makes me feel like a vicarious badass for my days when I used to buy Asian flicks and anime (that often turned out to be bootleg copies) online because American companies didn’t release them here and official Asian releases weren’t subtitled.
This says nothing about acquiring movies online which means I will now have to assume is totally fine, and I should continue not paying for counterfeit movies and not give my money to anyone in fear my money may one day be held by horrible actors in stupid PSA’s about things that don’t matter.
Yes, people still buy burned DVDs because not everybody is a 1337 h4xx0r (or at least knows what the term means).
FEAR-MONGER!
Here in East Africa, pretty much the whole music and movie trade seems to be conducted off of bootlegs. Street vendors sell either produce (or food) or miscellaneous electronics (sometimes stolen) and bootleg CDs and DVDs. It’s so much that the two movie theaters in town closed down because people would rather buy the bootleg and watch at home.
And considering the proximity to Somalia and other unsavory locations, I wouldn’t be surprised if some of these were funded by or provided funding for gangsters, terrorists, etc. Probably not that much money, but who knows.