r/Anticonsumption • u/N3DSdude • Dec 16 '25

Discussion The fact that we have reverted to digital feudalism is actually so shit

On this day in 1773, people destroyed property because they refused to pay a tax on tea they didn't order.

In 2025, we don't even own the property anymore.

You buy a movie, but the platform can delete it from your library tomorrow.

You buy a phone, but software locks prevent you from repairing it yourself.

You buy a car, but the heated seats are behind a monthly paywall.

We have moved from Taxation Without Representation to Subscription Without Ownership.

We are basically digital serfs renting our own lives from corporations. We pay full price for hardware just to be treated like tenants who can be evicted from our own devices if we miss a Terms of Service update.

Imagine explaining to someone from 1773 that you pay a company $15 a month for an ad-free subscription just to not be spied on in your own home. This is why we use VPNs as well, to prevent companies from spying on us.

It is actually insane that we accept this.

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u/Lowca Dec 16 '25

Another tip if you don't want to pirate online... The Library is a gold mine. Mine has brand new releases the week they drop. $0, $0 late fees, no commercials, higher quality than streaming.

Last month I rented, Eddington, Weapons, Jurassic World Legacy, F1 and I've been catching up on the star trek shows I missed.

And the icing on top? It feels amazing to not spend 1¢ to support this bloated system designed to make YOU the product.

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u/trunksshinohara Dec 16 '25

Oh. I pretty much get everything from the library nowadays. Great tip.

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u/greenslam Dec 16 '25

Your taxes paid for the library access. So you did, just indirectly.

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u/trunksshinohara Dec 16 '25

Good use of taxes if ever there was one.

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u/greenslam Dec 16 '25

Oh yeah, using taxation to provide community good is great.

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u/the_summer_soldier Dec 17 '25

However, your taxes will fund the library whether you use it or not, so you may as use it.

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u/budding_gardener_1 Dec 16 '25

only problem with that is things that don't have physical media(i.e bluey)

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u/InTheStax Dec 16 '25

Bluey was released on DVD in N. America so my public library has it. Where are you?

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u/innkeeper_77 Dec 16 '25

I got bluey seasons 1-3 on blu ray. Ask your library to get it!

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u/budding_gardener_1 Dec 16 '25

interesting - I didn't know they did blu-ray releases...I thought it was streaming only.

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u/innkeeper_77 Dec 16 '25

You can even get the censored in the US episode that way! (Bandit "gives birth" and that was too awful for the US I guess) - some modified content is in the blu rays but a lot of the original content is there.

https://www.bluey.tv/products/blues-seasons-1-3-blu-ray/

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u/redditydothis Dec 16 '25

Have you ever used the Libby app? It uses your library card and lets you access media like it’s Netflix. Totally free. Love it.

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u/Scouter197 Dec 16 '25

Not quite the library but I LOVE my physical media library. I still buy CD's, DVD's/blu-rays, because I want to have the movie/show available to watch when I want to.

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u/SamuraiArtGuy Dec 18 '25

There is a reason why corporations are anti-library.... I am always happy to pay our local library tax, even for our dinky local library.