Morality and downloading

[Mudhammam]

I look at it like this: there are degrees to which stealing is morally wrong. It is not equally wrong to steal a hat from Walmart (the only time in my life I have walked out of a store with an item intending not to pay for it) as it is to steal a hat from a mom and pop shop. Both are wrong but to the degree that an individual (such as the one being stolen from) is made to suffer, the magnitude of the deviancy is increased or diminished. My general attitude was and still is, fuck Walmart, but stealing in the abstract is still wrong.
I think the same general principles apply to intellectual property. However, in the case of downloading media, I see the situation as slightly different. When I download something from a torrent, I am not stealing it. It has already been stolen. I'm like the guy who looks at the stolen hat, says, "That's nice. Can I wear it for a moment and see if I like it?" and then gives it back (deletes the downloaded file), or holds on to it because the hat thief pulls out ten more.