i did a bad thing
ok.... so...... today, i went to besiktas and experienced my first, full-on, *completely* illegal bootleg DVD/CD shop. no signs, no clues that it existed, other than a guy just hanging out, smoking a cigarette on the street. went upstairs and was let into an apartment FULL of DVDs and CDs of music, movies, computer programs, you name it.... it was like an illegal paradise! dear lord!
i have mixed feelings about bootlegging, especially here in turkey. on one hand, having worked in the film industry, i am against the purchase of copied films, music, or other creative works. millions of dollars are spent on the creation of these products and the people working on them deserve to be renumerated. however.... in turkey, one music CD costs approximately 35 USD. DVDs are probably 2-3 times what they are in the US and the income of the average Turk is significantly less. maybe shockingly less.
but.... people want to see films, they want to listen to music, they want to enjoy the same creative things that people in wealthier countries enjoy. so.... 1 CD in this bootleg store was 2 YTL.... which as of today's exchange rate, comes to 1.25 USD. a DVD of a film was 4 YTL or 2.50 USD.
did i buy anything? maybe. maybe not. but let me ask you this.... if you went into a store with thousands of CDs and DVDs to choose from for these prices, would you be able to leave empty-handed? hm.
i think that the only way to curb these kinds of places would be to bring the prices of legal copies DOWN. that means governments would have to change and regulate import/export taxes. the prices for CDs and DVDs in turkey is RIDICULOUS-- so of course i am NOT shocked at the amount of bootlegging that occurs. if the government lifted the shocking tax rates on CDs and DVDs, perhaps bootlegging would wane.
anyway.
came home. got hungry. tried a new website out and ordered a little pizza (from little caeser's! ha!) online. immediately after placing the order, someone called to confirm the order (in english!) and ask if i needed anything else. ah! service! really nice customer service! i hardly knew what to do other than gush "thank you, thank you so much!"
posted by camille @ 10:25 PM
5 Comments:
yemeksepeti.com!! be warned, it can become highly addictive, very much in the same way that buying bootlegged cds in besiktas becomes...
hmmm, should i cook tonight? or click a button and have my food delivered to my doorstep?? hmmmm...
Ok...here's a stupid question: Can you
order CD's and/or DVD's from Amazon delivered to Turkey without having to pay an arm & a leg in
additional gov't. taxes? I know people in Great Britain who have expressed satisfaction in doing business with Amazon...
Love from your armchair travelin' Grandma Helen
Well, you can order from Amazon.com.uk but it's still signifigantly more expensive than it should be. It's better to have things brought over by visitors and/or random people who come here! One of my students is going to Napa Valley and she's bringing me some California wine. Score! :)
I just bought a bootleg copy of a DVD at a corner store in Belize; there don't seem to be any local outlets for non-bootleg movies or CDs here. Only $10 for a movie that isn't even out yet... not a bad deal. What's a bootleg DVD run in Istanbul?
Just make sure to leave them behind if you head back to the US. If you get caught with bootleg media, the fine is something like $10,000—per item.
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