Submission by Will Nelson
Anime has been an increasing industry in recent years, and even though it is still a relatively niche form of entertainment, the industry has never been as widely accepted as it is now. However, there is an apparent issue with the industry, that being of piracy. The practice of piracy is not an unfamiliar one- it has existed for a long time in fact, the practice of stealing from an industries pocket and essentially selling it for free.
The practice of piracy has gone down in recent years with the increased popularity of legal streaming websites such as Crunchyroll, Funimation, Hidive, VRV, Amazon, Hulu, and even Netflix. Though, there are individuals that still hold to the practice of piracy despite the more ethical options. Easily the most idiotic argument put forward is that legal companies are not transparent enough about what they contribute to the anime industry. This topic fits under the utilitarianism theory of ethics, the idea that the rightness or wrongness of an action is based on its consequences, and that it is to promote the greatest happiness for the greatest number.
Which is laughably ironic, considering that the sites that these pirates use do not contribute to the industry themselves. In recent years legal streaming companies have given massive contributions to the anime industry, Youtuber Mother’s Basement even brought up an article by The Hollywood Reporter, in his video called There’s NO GOOD REASON to Prate Legally Available Anime. As he states in the video it is apparent that Crunchyroll has given much to the industry, contributing an estimated one hundred million dollars. It is apparent that the pirates simply do not care about the ethical ramifications of their theft, they just simply want the industry to entertain them for free, that they think they are above the corporate businesses that lock away their shows, as if it is a kind of title to wear with pride.