Have you ever noticed.........?

So who is this "Shorty" related to? Maybe citizens should appear at the office oif this person demanding something be done.

Yea, I guess I don't get this whole covering for family thing. Personally if my brother or kid was mugging people or worse I'd be the FIRST to turn their asses in! Am I missing something here? People can't complain about the crime and then allow family to perpetrate it. I guess I doubt that I will see any changes in my time here but just doesn't really make any sense.

I would guess that some of these people are indeed involved in more than just the bootlegs but it would have to be proven. The one thing that has always interested me is where they are getting the copies from. Duplicators cost a pretty penny in some cases and there is also the time involved in the production of the copies. Not saying it can't be done in the VI but I have my doubts...

There are a multitude of "download" locations, Bit torrent's being the most popular for things like this; and if that fails a simple laptop or desktop computer with a DVD drive or two could easily copy these items fairly quickly and then reburn the copies for distribution.

Now while I say "easily" I don't mean "fast" it takes quite a bit of time (dependant on the level of computer proccessor/ram, faster/more expensive systems will be faster to "rip" dvd's) This time requirement & the inventory of DVD's for sale I saw is why I commented that these people probably are NOT doing anything else, as a large chunk of their time will be devoted to downloading/"Riping" dvd's and then burning them to disk.

There is a LARGE host of software options out there to do this as well.

I always make sure and buy a copy of a DVD of films I would like to see more of (Fantastic directing /acting etc..) I see where I spend my money as voting, as that really is what consumer demand is, a vote for more like products of what ever is purchased.

DVD sales is where the real profit is for movie makers, though I didn't mind attending theaters as well while in the states for movies / topics I support (I paid to see the movie about Obama, even though it was sub par because I supported the content etc..)

Yea, I guess I don't get this whole covering for family thing. Personally if my brother or kid was mugging people or worse I'd be the FIRST to turn their asses in! Am I missing something here? People can't complain about the crime and then allow family to perpetrate it. I guess I doubt that I will see any changes in my time here but just doesn't really make any sense.

The attitude is answered in the recent articles on "transfer day" where the USVI asked itself something like : " are we any better under US colonialism than we were under Danish colonialism".

There seems to be a large portion of the population that feels that they are somehow being taken advantage of by the US, like this island would have ANY of the infrastructure, government programs, food stamps, welfare or any of the other programs that seem to be heavily taken advantage of here with OUT the US being here.

I see some delusional attitudes in the VI zeitgeist, especially when reading the offerings of the territory constitution that seem to always include some form of "racism" or at the very least "isolationism".

When you feel you and your neighbors are "victims" as a whole, you will look out for "your own" at the detriment to "outsiders"

This was the same thing that we dealt with in Iraq and Afghanistan. In countries that maintain strong tribal or cultural ties families will look past crimes committed to maintain their families.

Quick fun story. My Dad was a teacher in a pretty bad area near Philly. He had one student who did really well until she turned around 15. He calls the Mom in to talk and ask if she is doing drugs or hanging with a bad crowd and the Mother says no. My Dad asks what's wrong then and the Mom says the daughter is just a little boy crazy and giving oral relations to the neighborhood boys, but it's okay, because she was the same way when she was younger and she turned out fine. My dad got her into band, gave her a clarinet and grades improved.

(tu)