Yes, I agree. But I don't see any other way around it that works.

Publishers need to stop doing this, or we end up in a world where everything is rented. They will only pay attention to what affects their revenue.

I repeat: I'm happy to pay for books if they're DRM-free. It's not like I'm pirating everything because it's free; I'm happy to pay for it if I can actually own it.

Do you block ads on your computer, or avoid the internet altogether?

I pay to skip ads wherever that's an option. I do use an ad-blocker because ads are annoying. What I don't so is pretend my ad-blocking is a grand crusade for privacy.

Oh no, poor inconvenience exploiters and profiteers, why won't anyone think of the rich people?!

Yeah, fuck the author who actually wrote the book and the publisher who financed it. I should just get to take it for free and then posture about my morality.

I've taken a principled stand against Crunchyroll and Kindle - the result has been basically dropping reading nonfiction books and watching anime as a hobby for over a decade. Who does this benefit?

Self-flagellation is not a moral imperative.

If you want to pirate because it's easier and cheaper, just don't pretend it's a moral choice.

You dodged the question because you don't have an answer, only zealotry.