> Yep, we all have to eat, so i make a conscientious effort not to block ads, unless they are abusive

I find this a really weird attitude that I just can't get behind.

"Here, let me give you some money by watching something that will try to convince me to buy something that I wouldn't have otherwise bought. Just doing my civic duty here!"

That's what it sounds like to me. You want to help someone else, so you agree to be allowed to be told to buy something you didn't need or know about until you saw the ad. It's... weird. It's a very strange method to power the economy. Allowing your mind to be molded in the shape the big guy wants it for the sake of the little guy.

I myself just flat out refuse to have my mind manipulated like this. There's gotta be a better way for the little guy to make money.

Banksy:

"You owe the companies nothing. You especially don't owe them any courtesy. They have re-arranged the world to put themselves in front of you. They never asked for your permission, don't even start asking for theirs."

"...any advertisement in public space that gives you no choice whether you see it or not is yours, it belongs to you... its yours to take, rearrange and re use. Asking for permission is like asking to keep a rock someone just threw at your head."

Banksy is to "attentional integrity" what Stallman is to software freedom: radical-sounding, heretical to big business, and very very right.

Rats have to eat too. That doesn't mean I should feed them and keep them around the house.

No, but if you keep them as pets you should feed them?

Not saying ad blockers are bad -I use them- just that your analogy breaks down quickly.

Pets make you more likely to buy poor quality products that you don't need or want?

No but GP likens (websites carrying ads) to (rats).

I point out that GP is in a mostly voluntarily relationship with those websites.

Oh yes, a lot of good it will do you, blocking ads after they infect you with malware. Let many starve; I'm not willing to risk it for the hunger of people that cannot find a sustainable business model other than advertisement garbage.