
The Real Pirate Bay  - peter123
http://blogs.harvardbusiness.org/haque/2009/04/the_real_pirate_bay.html
======
omouse
I hate this particular writer's little articles. I've read 4-5 of them and
they're so full of buzzwords and an attempt to sound "hip" and "with it" in
terms of technology that it's pathetic and sad.

He's as bad as those social media marketing people, those shameless self
promoters who don't actually _create_ anything, merely talk themselves up with
canned expressions.

Some examples of his article titles: * IdeaCast: the Zombieconomy * The
Finance 2.0 Manifesto * Edgeconomy vs Twitter * Investment 1.0 vs Capitalism
2.0

I can't even list anymore, this guy only recycles phrases imo.

~~~
jgilliam
Umair Haque is actually quite brilliant, nothing at all like the stupid social
media marketing people. His style kind of rubs people the wrong way, but
there's a lot people can learn from him. I recommend this presentation he did
a couple months ago: <http://vimeo.com/3204792>

~~~
omouse
_Umair Haque is actually quite brilliant_

Could you defend that by pointing out some articles where he makes a clear
point without resorting to buzzwords or the latest fad/trend?

 _there's a lot people can learn from him_

Such as?

~~~
jgilliam
Well, I recommended that video link, which is over an hour long.

If you'd like to get into his older material, you can check out the couple of
power point decks on the right side of this page:
<http://bubblegeneration.com/>

------
tptacek
Mug someone on the street for $72 and loose change, go to jail for 3 years.

Join a bank and wreck the economy for tens of millions of people, retire with
a golden parachute.

Where, I ask, is the _justice_?

~~~
jpcx01
Any why are we totally, 100% sure that it was the bankers who wrecked the
economy? Did they not work within the system? Who broke the law and isn't
going to jail?

This is just blind, bullshit populism where people want to target a group and
spout their righteous anger.

~~~
DanielBMarkham
Yep.

Welcome to the internet.

~~~
Ardit20
No

Welcome to the World.

------
jacoblyles
This "analysis" has the sophistication of graffiti in a bathroom stall.

------
marcusbooster
When journalism and twitter collide.

~~~
tdavis
More like, when a lack of effort and the Internet collide. Which,
interestingly, also accurately describes twitter.

------
Dilpil
Banks were destroyed by their greedy and foolish owners and managers.

Piratebay destroyed other people's businesses.

The difference is quite simple.

~~~
noonespecial
The difference is quite simple.

Not _quite_ so simple. Banks are not like regular companies. Especially those
in question. In a way, they are part of the public infrastructure. These banks
wove an intricate web reaching into nearly every financial nook of the
economy, from old ladies pensions to hospitals operating capital. The leaders
of these banks manipulated the ratings systems, hid risk from investors (the
public kind), and invented assets with bogus bookkeeping schemes. They stole
billions from the public all while paying themselves 100's of millions in
bonuses.

In short, bank leaders stole _real_ money from _real_ people using actual
fraud. Lots. From lots.

The pirate bay: helped people connect with each other and then _maybe_ trade
copyrighted files that _might_ have led to the loss of potential sales of zero
marginal cost goods.

The bankers: Literally stalled human progress. The "pirates": Umm... Maybe
"Thundercats The Movie" will have a smaller production budget? Even the
comparison is obscene.

~~~
jibiki
Haque doesn't accuse the bankers of fraud, just of "economically damaging
actions." Reading that as "massive fraud" makes the article's point much
clearer. (It's probably impossible to criminalize "economically damaging
actions" in general.)

~~~
noonespecial
_(It's probably impossible to criminalize "economically damaging actions" in
general.)_

That might be an extremely succinct way of expressing that point. The trackers
didn't host any actual copyright infringing content. They did however engage
in behavior that was likely "economically damaging" is some sense of the term.
They still got jail time.

~~~
lucumo
It was also likely to result in illegal actions, which cannot be said for the
bankers.

Now, it's possible to argue about whether or not either _should_ be illegal,
but such is not the territory of courts, it is the territory of politicians.

