When you don't pirate, at the margin you'll give some of your time, attention, publicity, and money to the sort of producers you want to encourage
Pirating from people who I don't want to encourage, and paying people who I do want to encourage are not mutually exclusive actions.
When you have a reason not to pay, to what extent is it the main reason? You're both setting up a constant temptation to lie to yourself and clouding your motives to others -- they have more trouble telling how seriously to take your stated reason.
For one, I don't particularly care what anyone else thinks of my media consumption habits. I state my reasons for pirating content - if someone disbelieves me, that is their prerogative.. the goal of not supporting people who campaign against me is achieved regardless.
In a world where I'd already watched Game of Thrones season 2 via torrent I'd still have consumed some of the other entertainments that I actually did, but less of them.
Pirating from people who I don't want to encourage, and paying people who I do want to encourage are not mutually exclusive actions.
When you have a reason not to pay, to what extent is it the main reason? You're both setting up a constant temptation to lie to yourself and clouding your motives to others -- they have more trouble telling how seriously to take your stated reason.
For one, I don't particularly care what anyone else thinks of my media consumption habits. I state my reasons for pirating content - if someone disbelieves me, that is their prerogative.. the goal of not supporting people who campaign against me is achieved regardless.