Want Sympathy For Surfing Porn At Work?
from the nice-try dept
Okay, we've seen all sorts of bizarre legal excuses to get people off from charges of computer related crimes, but now people are combining that with psychologists' tendency to call everything an addiction. A guy in Germany who was fired from his job for (a) running up a huge internet bill charged to his office while (b) surfing porn at work has the guts to claim he's an online porn addict, and as such deserves "understanding", and not a pink slip. Now, certainly, there are people with problems who need to understanding and therapy, but this seems to be going too far. Why is it that no one can ever take responsibility for their own actions any more?
Thank you for reading this Techdirt post. With so many things competing for everyone’s attention these days, we really appreciate you giving us your time. We work hard every day to put quality content out there for our community.
Techdirt is one of the few remaining truly independent media outlets. We do not have a giant corporation behind us, and we rely heavily on our community to support us, in an age when advertisers are increasingly uninterested in sponsoring small, independent sites — especially a site like ours that is unwilling to pull punches in its reporting and analysis.
While other websites have resorted to paywalls, registration requirements, and increasingly annoying/intrusive advertising, we have always kept Techdirt open and available to anyone. But in order to continue doing so, we need your support. We offer a variety of ways for our readers to support us, from direct donations to special subscriptions and cool merchandise — and every little bit helps. Thank you.
–The Techdirt Team
Reader Comments
Subscribe: RSS
View by: Time | Thread
No-fault Life
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Real problem, but I'd still fire him
That said, no addiction is overcome through putting the blame on something else. This man needs to accept responsibility for his problem and tackle it (with therapy if need be).
[ link to this | view in thread ]
RICHLY ironic
I am laughing my butt off right now!
The irony of Mike making that statement is PRICELESS. Here's a guy who constantly rants and raves about how stealing copyrighted mp3s and movies shouldn't be illegal, and he's casting aspersions about responsibility and accountability?
Thanks for the best laugh I've had in a while!
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Re: RICHLY ironic
(a) Copyright infringement is against the law. Period.
(b) Copyright infringement and stealing are two different things. Don't believe me? Ask the Supreme Court.
(c) I do no advocate copyright infringement. I do not download music or movies without permission. I've never used Kazaa or whatever other popular file sharing applications are out there these days. I understand the law and I abide by it.
(d) All I've ever been saying is that it's actually in the content producers' best interests to embrace these distribution tools. I do not say that stealing should be legal. I say that the content producers will be better off in the long run by noticing where the market is heading, and moving there before the competition beats them.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
you forgot to add...
This line of reasoning kind of reminds me of the Bush administration: Black is white, day is night!
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Re: you forgot to add...
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Re: you forgot to add...
[ link to this | view in thread ]
market opportunity
a billg version on xbox would also be rather acceptable :)
[ link to this | view in thread ]
extra one
(e)The record companies have already broken the law in practices that gouge consumers. I feel like automatically cutting and pasting this to any argument that paints the record companies as the good guys as opposed to the 'pirates':
From http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2000/05/cdpres.htm
"The proposed agreements would settle FTC charges that all five companies illegally modified their existing cooperative advertising programs to induce retailers into charging consumers higher prices for CDs, allowing the distributors to raise their own prices. The complaints are the culmination of an extensive industry-wide investigation by the FTC of these practices."
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Re: you forgot to add...
Black is White & White is Black is closer to Geore Orwell's novel " 1984 " ie: War is Peace ...
[ link to this | view in thread ]