State moving up in the ranks

OUR OPINION: N.C. State is in a league of its own when it comes to music and movie piracy as we rank among the top in nation in both categories, and these achievements are more than fitting considering our affinity for swashbuckling pirates.

Our University is moving up in the ranks fast, but these rankings have nothing to do with sports or the quality of our academics.

Piracy is our forte and we exercise it better than most schools in the country. East Carolina pirates look like law-abiding nobles compared to us, and for good reason.

We have discovered a way to save money, by not spending any on music or movies. The ability to squander money from people who are already rich is a life-skill -- much more important than any game based on athletic ability.

If you get injured, as long as it isn't your mouse-finger, you can still steal music and movies without flinching -- try having an illustrious pro-football or basketball career with something like a torn ACL. It's not happening.

You see, at NCSU, we strive for greatness and have found our niche. Harvard and Yale can't claim such high rankings; perhaps we should include these types of stats on our recruitment brochures.

After all, what prospective student doesn't want to be in an environment where they can excel at attaining free entertainment and get national recognition at the same time?

Record labels and production companies continue to move in the wrong direction, considering they insist on fighting a war they will never win instead of finding other avenues for money-making.

We are really giving these companies a lashing, and rightfully so, considering they consistently, or at least used to have the ability to, gouge one of their largest target markets, college students, of money they don't have.

Of course, we aren't saying piracy is good and we certainly aren't encouraging students to engage in it.

But it's tough to take down a legacy, which is exactly what we have created, when it comes to e-thievery.

We aren't smashing the little guys, such as small bands or movie-makers, with piracy -- we are teaching them. CD and DVD sales will never be the money-making monster they used to be and there are new, innovative ways, particularly in the music industry, to make money. Check-out reverbnation.com for an idea.

It's really tough to frown or be embarrassed of our rankings, because when it comes down to it, we are sitting back, iPods full, listening to and watching what we want with huge smiles on our faces.

This type of circumvention, success and defeat of greed and bureaucracy should be embraced as a good sign that perhaps our generation isn't as dumb as it seems.