Nona Willis-Aronowitz

THE PIRATE’S DILEMMA: HOW YOUTH CULTURE IS REINVENTING CAPITALISM
By Matt Mason
Free Press, 276 pages, $25

It took me a long time to figure out what annoyed me about Matt Mason’s new book, The Pirate’s Dilemma: How Youth Culture Is Reinventing Capitalism. After all, the man has an attractive argument—piracy, a youth-driven idea, is good for the economy and will continue to be beneficial in our virtual future. He posits a theory that’s pro-technology, pro-money and pro-youth all at once, which is a hard thing to pull off.

Not only that, he does a good job of proving it. A pirate, which Mr. Mason defines as “anyone who broadcasts or copies someone else’s creative property without paying for it or obtaining permission,” creates a market that propels the mainstream industries forward.  read more »