If “the setup costs more than a Netflix subscription” (presumably your piracy setup), why do you do it? It doesn’t seem rational.

Because there's no bullshit like this preventing me from sharing with family who are overseas (gets really fun when we want to watch something together but it's available in their country but not mine). Because I can download the content and store it locally for trips. Because I can now access a wider selection of content than Netflix offers.

It's not cheap, but the fact that I and other commenters here are willing to pay that money and spend the effort of setting up piracy engines is a pretty loud signal that the entertainment market has failed. Again.

There was a golden age when Netflix had a great catalog and didn't engage in dark patterns. It's long gone, and the streaming industry has become worse than the cable tv industry. I'm happy paying multiples of the netflix subscription cost for my piracy setup just to have the convenience and ownership of the content.

Why is it worse than the cable industry?

I can't speak for them but I'd argue that it is very likely much more convenient too. Plus you aren't limited to just Netflix's library.