Unintended signals

If you have been to the cinema recently, you might have had the "pleasure" of seeing an anti-piracy advert featuring the cast of the (excellent) Pixar film, Ratatouille. Its main points are that pirate movies are terrible quality, have terrible sound and a terrible picture and that if you watch them, you will have a terrible time (and you run the risk of being called a ‘knock-off Nigel’). This ad is ridiculous for at least two reasons I can think of. Firstly, they’re preaching to the choir (we’re already in the cinema, they’ve already won the battle).

Secondly, the ad tells me precisely the opposite of what its makers want it to tell me. It signals to me that pirated films are actually fairly good quality and would be an enjoyable watch, not far off comparable with buying an official DVD. Why? Because if the reverse were true, if they were rubbish, then no-one would buy them (at least, not more than once). If no-one bought them, the big film companies wouldn't be worried about them and wouldn't spend bundles of cash telling me not to watch them. If something is crap, you don't need to tell me not to consume it, I will work that out all on my own, thanks.