AfterDawn: News

NBC's Rick Cotton claims piracy hurts "corn growers"

In another shocking statement by NBC's general counsel, Rick Cotton has once again pushed the limits of what can be seen as sane behavior. He has already said that law enforcement needs to spend more money on fighting piracy then on catching burglars, and bank robbers but now he has decided to show his support for the American farmer.

"In the absence of movie piracy, video retailers would sell and rent more titles. Movie theatres would sell more tickets and popcorn. Corn growers would earn greater profits and buy more farm equipment."



I will leave this article with not much else to say but that movie theaters are doing great this year (read stickied article) and so are corn farmers. For that matter, pirates can still enjoy popcorn at home and I'm sure many do, considering it is much less expensive that way.

Finally, thank you Rick Cotton for another absurd comment.

Source:
TechDirt

Written by: Andre Yoskowitz @ 23 Jun 2007 20:15

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• 53 comments

• Thoatih12

  I have no clue why i even bothered to write this ill some this up in one word..
  
  
  ========MORoN===========(this is just not even a smart statement...people high and dunk would'nt even say this...they'd get there asses kicked for saying something this stupid!!)
  
  
  point said:0
  
  
  EDIT: some spelling errors!

  23.6.2007 20:20 #1

• 21Q

  This guy is a total idiot.

  23.6.2007 20:38 #2

• tucker001

  I go to the movies, download movies illegally, and buy dvds

  23.6.2007 20:42 #3

• Boston84

  This man is a genius...I cant believe these pirates who take away from the corn growers. Piracy is the cause of almost all the problems in the world. I feel really sorry for all these movie associations who barely make any profits. Please people, these people deserve our hard earned money. Rick Cotton and the people at the MPAA can barely afford to live. Help the poor...stop piracy

  23.6.2007 20:48 #4

• Kazi

  and the burglary/robbery of microwavable popcorn has hit an all time high because the pirates watch their movies at home rather than at the theaters.

  23.6.2007 20:51 #5

• windsong

  It's like seeing Michael Moore, Al Gore, and Rosie O'Donnell all wrapped up in one person....
  
  Retch!!

  23.6.2007 21:02 #6

• spydah

  I rank this guy in my top 5 dead or a live dumbest people. He is standing very close to our beloved bush.

  23.6.2007 21:10 #7

• jcur31

  They aren't losing any money, Every time I sit down to Watch a Pirated movie I toss a bag of microwave popcorn in and enjoy.

  23.6.2007 22:06 #8

• tbok4600

  He should be committed to the loony bin.

  23.6.2007 22:21 #9

• rickster9

  Originally posted by windsong:It's like seeing Michael Moore, Al Gore, and Rosie O'Donnell all wrapped up in one person....
  
  Retch!!How about adding Dan Quayle for good measure lol

  23.6.2007 22:28 #10

• AlmostOz

  man hes dumb
  he would have been better off saying that piracy adds to global warming.
  
  at least theres some truth in that with everyone now running big screen monitors and using lots of power

  23.6.2007 22:54 #11

• borhan9

  This guy just wants his 15minutes of fame. This guy needs to get a life and make sure he actually thinks before he speaks.

  23.6.2007 23:06 #12

• venomX05

  Quote:"In the absence of movie piracy, video retailers would sell and rent more titles. Movie theatres would sell more tickets and popcorn. Corn growers would earn greater profits and buy more farm equipment." HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!! JESUS F'ING CHRIST!!!
  
  Swear...why didn't his mom just aborted him when she had a chance!
  
  (My bad if the comment is offensive to anyone)

  23.6.2007 23:36 #13

• duckNrun

  well we all know that its OBVIOUSLY hurting the popcorn growers because popcorn cost MORE at the theater... thus the theater industry who are buying popcorn by the tons (literally!) must be paying more money for the bulk buying than the grocery store the pirate buys his little one serving bag from....**pop** thats the sound of whoevers head who believes his statement being pulled out of their a$$.
  
  The corn growers are seeing one of the highest price yields currently and are only expected to see it grow higher due to the ethanol industry. In fact by this guys statement MORE piracy is needed to reduce the price of corn to a LOWER level so more POOR UNDERFED children can afford to have a decent meal (or at least a side item lol)...also a lower price on corn thus means a lower price on ethanol which thus means a lower price on GASOLINE...
  
  Ive never been one for torrents and such but if becoming a movie pirate can feed more children AND reduce the cost of gas I best be finding me a torrent client right away!
  
  --sidenote to MPAA: I know you want to put propaganda out there but come on dont put stuff out there that logical and intelligent people can turn against you to show why piracy is NEEDED... and try not to lie too much, hell is WAY HOTTER than Southwest LA in the summer!

  24.6.2007 00:38 #14

• Hrdrk20

  I was expecting a post about Universal blaming god for dismal box office results for Evan Almighty but this is even funnier :) lol

  24.6.2007 00:53 #15

• duckNrun

  No, their going to be blaming Christians for not getting out there and supporting a family oriented christian film which is what the christian community says they want and insist that they will endorse and support. So not only will they use this to justify their false claims against piracy but they will also use it to justify why they focus mainly on films that use sex, sleeze, sin and f-bombs whenever they cannot think of intelligent dialogue for their characters to speak.
  
  I'm telling you in the not so distant future Pirates and Christians will be the people that are blamed for holding back and stopping all the 'good things' that a free society can bring people world wide. But hey it's not just me saying this, it's also the God not portrayed by hollywood films and tv. Sorry but I also have to add: these are the same people who thought they were providing christian programming and were shocked at the outcry of having a happy go lucky Jesus character condoning drugs, marital infidelity, and spouting such words of wisdom as 'come one man, life's like life man, don't take it so serious!' on that rapidly cancelled 'The Book of Daniel'
  
  Now on the other hand I will probably see Evan (even if only on DVD) because hey, life is like life man, and a show that hopefully doesn't have to use tits, a$$, swearing and crude foul humor to justify getting my hard earned cash and consuming 118 minutes of my life might not be as bad as some of the other choices out there....

  24.6.2007 03:40 #16

• ChiknLitl

  Someone is paying this guy BIG bucks and this is the best argument he could come up with??!!

  24.6.2007 05:46 #17

• limelight

  That is REALLY streching it thin!!!
  
  Is it April 1st already? Nah....

  24.6.2007 06:33 #18

• club42

  Quote:The corn growers are seeing one of the highest price yields currently and are only expected to see it grow higher due to the ethanol industry. In fact by this guys statement MORE piracy is needed to reduce the price of corn to a LOWER level so more POOR UNDERFED children can afford to have a decent meal (or at least a side item lol)...also a lower price on corn thus means a lower price on ethanol which thus means a lower price on GASOLINE... What DuckNrun said is totally true. We don't need any more corn consumption as the ethanol boom has created such a demand that farmers are having to change what they feed their livestock, the price of wheat will remain high because it will be used for feed more often, and in Mexico they are already seeing their main food staple rapidly grow in price. Also the farmers get pennies from from popcorn sold in movies. It's the theaters that get the profit from the overpriced popcorn.

  24.6.2007 07:29 #19

• svtstang

  This also applies to video games!
  
  We download emulators and play all the classics at home, this is why the arcade business does not exist anymore! Damn you, you video game pirates!! It is your fault that slimey hole in the wall across the street called an arcade had to shut down!
  
  On a side not, Cotton is by far one of the biggest moron's on the face of the planet, may god bless his sad, sad soul!

  24.6.2007 10:32 #20

• windsong

  Originally posted by spydah:I rank this guy in my top 5 dead or a live dumbest people. He is standing very close to our beloved bush.So what does that say for the 56% percent of the nation that voted for him...twice?

  24.6.2007 10:53 #21

• DVDBack23

  Quote:Originally posted by spydah:I rank this guy in my top 5 dead or a live dumbest people. He is standing very close to our beloved bush.So what does that say for the 56% percent of the nation that voted for him...twice?It was only 51% but yeah..its true LOL

  24.6.2007 11:40 #22

• Zoolook2

  Actually more ppl voted for Al Gore, Bush just won because the stupid electorate system.

  24.6.2007 13:23 #23

• Crash2960

  "In the absence of movie piracy, video retailers would sell and rent more titles. Movie theatres would sell more tickets and popcorn. Corn growers would earn greater profits and buy more farm equipment."
  
  Boston84 (Junior Member) 24 June 2007 0:48
  This man is a genius...I cant believe these pirates who take away from the corn growers. Piracy is the cause of almost all the problems in the world. I feel really sorry for all these movie associations who barely make any profits. Please people, these people deserve our hard earned money. Rick Cotton and the people at the MPAA can barely afford to live. Help the poor...stop piracy
  
  I live in a farming state corn is use for more than popcorn r u high or what

  24.6.2007 16:14 #24

• venomX05

  Nope...Bush won cause his brother Jeb is the governor of FL...how interesting it seems that that was the ONLY state that had a problem calculating the votes for the election....TWICE!
  
  Go figure...

  24.6.2007 18:31 #25

• WierdName

  Thats not even a valid statement! Where does this guy get these ideas?!

  24.6.2007 20:22 #26

• Ballpyhon

  LMAO! It's no wonder why Piracy is such a problem these days. It creates IDIOTS like Rick Cotton. I hope that not all the anti piracy crime fighters are this blatantly retarded. If they are, we have nothing to worry about, because they will be spending most, if not all their time trying to find the hole in the ground they think is their own ass.

  24.6.2007 22:23 #27

• tefarko

  I guess the toilet paper manufacturing will start complaining against piracy too... you know, people eat less popcorn therefore...

  24.6.2007 22:52 #28

• maryjayne

  The next person to join in the lawsuits against piracy: Orville Redenbacher!

  25.6.2007 04:11 #29

• tin23uk

  heres why not being a pirate would hurt children, if i dont download a movie for free that my children want to watch then i take them to the movies to watch it and it costs me around $70, i explain to my kids that if they want me to spend this money for them to go see a movie they will not get to eat for the next week, but small kids are stupid and dont understand that concept they want instant gratification. or as the responsible adult i am, i realise that kids are to stupid to make a descision of that caliber and tell them no they cant go it costs too much, then for the next week i have to listen to the kids pissing and moaning about said movie so i kick their asses and lock them in a room and spend all the money for food on prozac instead and they starve anyway.
  
  people of america and the world download your movies it is for the good of our children, the MPAA want to see our children starved and beaten, those bastards.
  
  crazy i know but its about as good an arguement as piracy hurting corn farmers.

  25.6.2007 06:28 #30

• Ballpyhon

  tin23uk I could not agree more. personally, i don't have a big income, and spend most of what i earn on bills ect. if all my family and i did was sit at home counting the blades of grass, one if not all of us would end up killing each other. for the sake of humanity, and personal safety, download what you wish.

  25.6.2007 09:20 #31

• mspurloc

  Quote:Originally posted by windsong:It's like seeing Michael Moore, Al Gore, and Rosie O'Donnell all wrapped up in one person....
  
  Retch!!How about adding Dan Quayle for good measure lolGeez, I don't know, man...Danny boy may not be able to spell, but he never said anything as stupid as what this Cotton guy keeps putting out.
  UNBELIEVABLE!

  25.6.2007 09:30 #32

• FlakMNKEY

  As a farmer, this guy is nuts, first off popcorn is completly different than most agricultural corn variety speaking. second the only thing huring corn growers is the cost of corn now because the ethanol industry is completly buying every damn bushel they can get there hands on.

  25.6.2007 09:47 #33

• jetyi83

  i dont know what you guys are talkin about.. i completely agree with the statement.
  
  i hurt the corn growers by pirating... isnt that common knowledge? first i download a movie.. and then, the corn farmer dies a little inside.

  25.6.2007 10:25 #34

• tin23uk

  heres another arguement for piracy, it would hurt rick cotton if we didnt download because we dont download ---> corn farmers dont get hurt -----> abc doesnt pay rick cotton out the ass to say stupid shit like piracy hurts cotton farmers, pesticide makers, pop corn machine makers, astronauts, dog trainers, trees so on and so on.
  
  oh look now rick cottons broke cos he doesnt have anything to talk about and now he has to download too cos he cant afford to go to the movies.
  
  and next ill think of a reason why not downloading hurts the eban tribe of borneo.

  25.6.2007 11:07 #35

• svtstang

  Quote:and next ill think of a reason why not downloading hurts the eban tribe of borneo.LMAO that is awesome :)
  
  

  
  
  It is within the forum rules ddp, i swear!! :P

  25.6.2007 11:11 #36

• Ballpyhon

  here is a bit of irony. I downloaded "Sicko" the new michael moore film on how wonderful our free health care in the U.S. is. after watching this movie, i started thinking about how piracy actually helps us. it allows us to use money that would have been spent at the box office, to be used on ridiculously expensive heatlh care (the topic of "sicko"), food (corn), medication, rent, child care, this list goes on and on.
  
  here is an idea, MPAA, could you please take the billions of dollars you spend on anti-piracy, put it towards medical care, and the other things that would help the general public. Instead of trying to put people in jail, creating more debt to those who pay the taxes to support the imprisoned, you can help them. this way the "pirates" can afford to go out and get original copies of DVDs, go to the movies, buy corn, instead of having to pay insurance premiums to insurance companies who will only deny coverage to it's policy holders in order to make billions, which in turn forces the "policy holders" to pay unaffordable medical bills.

  25.6.2007 12:04 #37

• 3085

  what an idiot
  go get a life

  25.6.2007 12:56 #38

• BurningAs

  funny

  25.6.2007 13:08 #39

• Ballpyhon

  Originally posted by 3085:what an idiot
  go get a lifeI would, but I can't afford to. The medical bills are to expensive. Please offer something constructive to say next time. At the very least, put some thought into your flames, and at least make them somewhat demeaning, and not so plain and boring.

  25.6.2007 17:32 #40

• SuperXL

  that was funny as hell. "piracy hurts corn growers". i cant imagine how. he prob'ly didnt factor in the millions of people who dont really like popcorn all that much. or the people who can ONLY afford to pay for movie tickets and not popcorn. i figure piracy would help the corn growers because those who really do like popcorn can get 10 pounds of it for prob'ly cheaper than they would at the theaters. and anyway, i hear that popcorn isnt even the same kind of corn that the farmers grow. stupid people saying stupid things. at least it was funny.

  29.6.2007 04:46 #41

• tin23uk

  oh well i guess we should all eat popcorn while watching our pirated movies at home, so rick cotton doesnt feel bad and we dont hurt any corn farmers. and while your at it better make sure you get some coke and a 16 year old spotty kid to serve it so as we dont hurt them either i think i covered all the bases. lol while we are at it we could pay a projectionist to switch on the dvd player a cleaning lady to clean the bathroom and someone to sell tickets at the living room door, and it would still be cheaper than a night out to the movies.

  29.6.2007 05:42 #42

• packrat1

  Quote:popcorn isnt even the same kind of corn that the farmers growOK, for everyone who keeps repeating this "myth" ... If popcorn isn't "grown", then how is it "made"?
  
  (NOTICE: This was sarcasm, which I realize doesn't always register with SOME people.)
  
  There are many varieties of corn grown for different purposes. Popcorn is especially grown for "popping", then there is corn for cattle feed, ethanol, fresh "eating" corn, high fructose corn syrup, etc etc etc.

  29.6.2007 11:57 #43

• SuperXL

  Quote:OK, for everyone who keeps repeating this "myth" ... If popcorn isn't "grown", then how is it "made"?
  pop corn is made from the oven or microwave, duhhh... oooohh magic fairies!!!
  
  of course popping corn is grown, unlike my earlier post suggests. the point i wanted to make is that popping corn isnt the corn that makes all the big dollars, which is what cotton was suggesting. he made it sound like popping corn is the only thing. the end all, be all of corn and that it is the primary cash crop of corn growers (farmers) now and FOREVER. and that makes him sound just as stupid (if not more) as the rest of us who say popping corn isnt grown.
  
  Quote:(NOTICE: This was sarcasm, which I realize doesn't always register with SOME people.)
  
  you are right as hell about that one... i think i caught it but i'm not sure yet.

  29.6.2007 14:49 #44

• WierdName

  IMPORTANT UPDATE:
  Piracy is hurting the government's mint! When people pirate, the developers don't make as much money so the government doesn't get as much in taxes so they can't afford to run the mint so there no more money. Oh wait, if theres no more new money, that would make the old money more valuable...

  29.6.2007 15:04 #45

• seb32

  LOL
  
  what a retard.

  29.6.2007 16:25 #46

• bigbrett

  ok here is another reason why piracy is good it saves us money by putting corn farmers out of work then they don't clog the roads up with big slow tractors that make us late then have to speed to make appointment and get speeding tickets from the police
  
  wow piracy really does save me money in more ways than one

  29.6.2007 18:36 #47

• krealynb

  The big bucks now seem to be going to subsidies for growing corn for ethanol. All the ranchers and dairies (who make great money from subsidies for notproducing milk) around here are ripping out pasture to plant corn. Must be better money to grow corn for a product that decreases your MPG, and costs more per gallon to grow than the price of gas. Which seems high enough to me. Corn produces 1 or two ears per stalk. Not a high efficiency crop, and requires lots of fertilizer. (Made from oil of course)
  
  Like the Aswan dam in Egypt that blocks the silt, forces the farmers to put fertilizer on their crops and the production of fertilizer uses as much electricity as the output of the dam. Sometimes the bureaucracy doesn't think.

  2.7.2007 19:45 #48

• chaos_zzz

  at movies or at home, rented or ripped i'm still eating my popcorn with pepsi :)

  18.10.2007 19:45 #49

• wCHUBBS

  The only thing I love more than popcorn is the hole I put in the bottom of the popcorn bucket! SCORE!
  wCHUBBS 1
  Cotton 0
  
  ohhh, maybe piracy is better, cause if you look at it this way, movies = hands only, pirated movies at home = full on reverse cowboy, then hell yes, I'M A PIRATE FOR LIFE!
  
  -wCHUBBS

  10.1.2008 13:42 #50

• corn

  LOL, bad news for me :P!

  11.3.2008 16:04 #51

• goodswipe

  lmao
  

  "look honey, it said goodswipe! oh wow, that's amazing."

  11.3.2008 16:14 #52

• beats by dr dre (unverified)

  much electricity as the output of the dam. Sometimes the bureaucracy doesn't think.
  

  8.9.2011 22:09 #53