there are a number of very good arguments that full participation in culture is a human (if not currently a legal) right
OK, that's a reason I can understand for thinking one has a right to download stuff without paying, if paying is onerous. Although I wouldn't want to be responsible for deciding what full participation in culture means.
3) but the idea of human rights is relatively new, period.
Yes. Part of my concern is precisely that the concept of rights, and a bunch of pretty basic rights, are under attack; and groups such as corporations are trying to get the concept of rights to apply to them too. And this is judgemental of me, but I think that (e.g.) downloading your own copy of The Avengers isn't as important as the other rights you mention, and I'm worried that trying to equate that with the other rights will end up harming people's access to the other rights.
no subject
OK, that's a reason I can understand for thinking one has a right to download stuff without paying, if paying is onerous. Although I wouldn't want to be responsible for deciding what full participation in culture means.
3) but the idea of human rights is relatively new, period.
Yes. Part of my concern is precisely that the concept of rights, and a bunch of pretty basic rights, are under attack; and groups such as corporations are trying to get the concept of rights to apply to them too. And this is judgemental of me, but I think that (e.g.) downloading your own copy of The Avengers isn't as important as the other rights you mention, and I'm worried that trying to equate that with the other rights will end up harming people's access to the other rights.
Maybe it's not really a zero sum game though.
FYI, I don't judge your use of torrenting.