Are the poor meant to be kept poor by the rich?

This is going a little bit off topic but I have had a personal experience which seems to prove that the rich want to keep the poor, poor. Twelve years ago I was living and working in a small town in Hawaii. Most of the people living there where poor Hawaiians. I had the idea of starting a computer centre so that kids would have access to computers, which they did not have at home. I tried to raise the money to start it from community leaders and was told that it was something that we did not need. The reason given was that they wanted to limit the education of the kids so that they would not hope for jobs other than service jobs in the tourist industry. A real case of trying to hold the poor down.

Well this video piracy almost killed our entertainment industry, our country lost credibility from those big companies abroad because of this type of crime. We lost great musicians, local film industry only produces less than ten local movies a year and big celebrities turned their acting on the boobtube instead. I think the problem here is, the overwhelming production on this types of copying. While others used to copy on video tapes for personal use, these cd's were sold in a cheaper and larger number. Somehow, it did provided opportunity to small scale businessmen but the way they do it is in an abusive and illegal manner. Plus, some of those sold where poor copies and sometimes were different from what they were supposed to be.

Just because a person copies things from the internet, that does not mean that they are poor. They could be cheap. Then, there are teens who want movies or music that their parents do not want them to have, where else will they get it from. The Bible says that the poor will always be with you. But, I say to you, sometimes it is not in what you say, but how you say it that makes the difference.

Well, lately, folks have been more discriminating as to who and what gets copied online. And like Roz said, the Bible does say The Poor will be with you always. However, I DO feel that a poor person doesn't have to be poor no longer(please read Donald Trump and Robert Kioyoski's, "Why We Want You to Be Rich") but then that is just a state of mind.

It's not that cut and dry. A lot of people are neither rich nor poor. And yes, the rich do try to keep the poor poor. Why? Because only so many people can be rich at a time. It's not even active on their part, but they tend to sponsor systems that maintain the status quo, which basically keeps the poor from becoming rich. That's not to say it's not possible... Most of the time, people who complain about 'the Man' keeping them down are not dedicated or talented enough to do anything about it :(

well, those who download from the net is not necessarily the poor, as stated above. however, i see ur point when u say that taping stuff, i guess they just have more rules and are enforcing it more now

What was it again about intelectual property rights? Only for the rich?

I'm not really sure where the difference comes in. I know I have probably a good 200-300 movies all on VHS tapes that I recorded off tv...they are for my private viewing and I don't sell them even once I get them on DVD. I'm by no means rich but when I want a DVD I save up to get it, I look on Ebay for it or I look in the $5 bin at Wal-marts. I don't download them off the internet...but that's just me. As for rich getting richer and poor getting poorer...it does tend to go that way...I think simply b/c the rich have more access to the easier things in life and can afford all the comforts of life where a poor person has to skrimp and save just to pay their rent. !!HAPPY EASTER!! **AT PEACE WITHIN** ~~STAND STRONG IN YOUR BELIEFS~~

Interesting what you said about Yahoo - seems our freedom of speech is once more under threat. Regarding file sharing: as you say it's sharing and people shouldn't be condemned for doing it regardless of their economic situation, and as you say, the quality is poor. The problem is all to do with the power of the new technology and the internet to connect thousands of people who want to share and the industry can't control this and their power is diminished. The whole problem of downloading music also has something to do with the very concept of property and how you actually define it. Is a musical sound really property? - because with a download that's all you're essentially getting. It's not the same as having an object in your hand like a CD or a vinyl record. And surely if we shared everything wouldn't the world be a better place? Isn't sharing a basic ethic at the centre of Christianity? Maybe Karl Marx was right when he said "All property is Theft". Why people pay on average a $ per download is beyond my comprehension - people are being ripped off by the music industry as they have been for decades. The argument that file sharing is ruining the music and film industry is a ridiculous and false one and people should wake up and realize that. Just how did all those movie stars and producers make money before the invention of the DVD and video tape? They all seemed to get by as far as I remember. And do Paul McCartney and Elton John really need any more wealth? As for up and coming artists, file sharing and the internet has been a Godsend and they have benefited greatly because performers can now more easily sell direct and cut out the industry fat cats and parasites. The whole system of course is set up to benefit the corporations and their shareholders.

Having been poor I kinda take offense to this discussion. Through hard work and little luck we're now upper-middle class so if you're willing to work you can change your situation. I also know people who are not well off but still wouldn't use a p2p file sharing program because they see it as morally wrong.