Because Z-Lib was thought of by the "wall"

I actually started using Z-Lib last month. The first book I downloaded after registering was Yan Lianke's "Four Books". After binding the robot, I once sighed, how can there be such a useful website, free and considerate. But because the reading speed is relatively slow, I have only downloaded four or five books so far, and I have not read two or three books.

I use pirated copies a lot. In the past, pirated video discs and pirated books cost money to buy. After the rise of the Internet, China used to have many ways to download pirated resources, such as BitTorrent and eDonkey. Now it seems like a past life. In addition, there are some free online video sites, I forgot the name, but I remember that I didn't want to go home after get off work, so I stayed in the office to watch movies and Korean dramas. Twenty years ago, Korean family dramas were very popular in China, not only on the Internet, but also imported by CCTV. Those Korean dramas are very long, often more than 100 episodes. Some names are very long, what is called "Look and Look".

It was the age of grand piracy. At that time, China didn't have the ability to produce too many genuine copies, and I didn't have the ability to consume genuine copies. Now that I think about it, I really want to kowtow to pirated discs and pirated books and burn incense. Without them, what would the world be like? However, a lot of things have to be looked back in order to perceive their sadness. If there is no such thing, at that moment, I am afraid that they will not be aware of it. Like the man in the iron house that Lu Xun said by his old man, when he was sleeping soundly, he didn't know how to be afraid.

If one sleeps into the new era, with a customized genuine, universal health code, and everything is arranged in a proper manner, it will be even less fearful.

Of course, there are also pirated copies in the new era, because after all, there is Nora who wakes up, and people who will be afraid. However, piracy has gone underground, and the threshold is higher than that of the year. Back then, there were many shops and vendors selling pirated discs and pirated books in the streets and alleys of the city. Today, pirated resources may cost nothing, but they are more hidden. China's subtitle groups have long been called "godlike existences" by movie fans, because it is said that they do not seek fame or profit, but rely on their passion, like Prometheus, to steal the spark of world civilization. "Go back to the room. If there is no subtitle group, what will Chinese fans do? For many movies, money can't buy genuine copies, or at most, so-called genuine copies that have been castrated. So early last year, when the Renren subtitle group was investigated and punished by the state on the grounds of "infringement", there was a moan on social media.

Much like the situation when Z-Lib was banned by the US yesterday.

But it seems to be very different. In China, because censorship comes first, watching "piracy" can be regarded as a form of resistance, and the crime of "film and television infringement" cannot escape the suspicion of persecution. In the United States, there is no such thing as censorship. How to explain the legitimacy of piracy?

Yesterday, after arguing with my friends for a long time, I didn't come to a conclusion. He believes that "piracy" is not inherently wrong. As a Chinese, there is no doubt about this conclusion. But I think that even in the context of piracy in the Chinese context, it seems to be justified, and that legitimacy is also divided into objects. In front of the country, it can be said that it is very legitimate. But in front of the author, can you still be just as arrogant?

A few days ago, I just watched "Days", and when I ran to the Douban mark, I saw Cai Mingliang's denunciation of the piracy incident that year, and immediately felt a little guilty. Of course, in a sense, if most of Cai Mingliang's films were not pirated, it would have never been possible for him to reach China, nor would he have won such a high reputation in the Chinese film industry. But if it is said that you are ignorant and shameless, then it is the logic of robbers.

After writing so much, the ultimate goal is not to discuss the right and wrong of "piracy". I am not a moral cleanliness patient, my body and mind are full of stains, and I can only be grateful to Z-Lib and the Renren subtitle group. Even if the free books I read before were not downloaded directly from Z-Lib, there is a good chance that Z-Lib was the original source. The reason for the discussion is mainly because of curiosity about the logic of American behavior. In other words, in my opinion, the United States is of course a country that pays more attention to copyright and the rule of law than China, so why do you think of sealing it up until now? When they decided to let it go, what was the justification for it? Of course "robbing the rich to help the poor" is not acceptable, right?

I have seen many people say that Z-Lib makes books available to the poor. For example, because of the monopoly of some academic publishers, some scientific research institutions and even top universities are unable to pay for journals, and some people even shout The slogan "oppose the privatization of knowledge". Granting the poor people a book to read is certainly a meritorious deed, but what about the author? For Chinese, Z-Lib has a threshold, but for most foreign countries, downloading a book from there is almost a breeze. If the author’s hard-written books (even the publishers can be said to be hard-pressed to publish) only sell a few copies in the end, and many are consumed for free, will the enthusiasm for creation be frustrated? As for the matter of "opposing knowledge privatization", I admit that it sounds a lot different from "dividing the land between local tyrants", but it's still a little scary.

Fortunately, human beings are very complex, and the moral self-discipline of some people is beyond the reach of others. Therefore, most of the assumptions of "if everyone..., then..." are not realistic possibilities. When there is a choice, there are always quite a few people who do not take advantage of the free, and there are enough people in this world, and self-disciplined people can support enough excellent creators. People like me who use pirated copies should thank those who are willing to pay for knowledge. It is because they share my costs that I can have sustainable free resources.

If Z-Lib comes back to life, of course, I will still use it, but it seems that there is no way to completely get out of this little "moral dilemma".