As an artist and a weekend warrior of the photographer type, I am concerned with the exchange of ideas, information, and knowledge.
I could not imagine someone sitting behind a computer screen in a government office somewhere, reading my blogs to make sure I am not overstepping my freedom of speech boundaries and that every time I make a reference to something that is copyrighted that I give proper attribution.
I could also not imagine someone stealing my images and claiming that he/she is the one who created them.
Besides, with as many essays as I have been required to write over my college career, I know a thing or two about plagiarism. I know that it is wrong. Why someone would ever want to take the easy way out of a situation and use things that don't belong to them is beyond me.
Like the way someone said something? Great: use it and give them credit for their genius.
Like the pose that the model in that photograph is in? Great: have a model of your own mimic it and then reference the original photo as inspiration, somewhere in the description of your photograph.
I know that this is dealing more with downloading and sharing music and videos than photographs or quotes, but photographs and quotes will be part of it if Congress passes these bills. (It is already happening, the illegal and unfair use of these things. I will not pretend that it isn't. Congress won't.)
Anyone who decides that it is easier to steal an image than make one of their own, steal words than rephrase them in their own original words, share movies / music that they paid for with their hard-earned money, is just lazy. (Come on, let's be real here, though: anyone who is sharing music / movies illegally online probably did not come by them honestly with their hard-earned money.) There is a difference between posting a copyrighted video on YouTube and having friends over to your house to watch the video with you. And those warnings at the start of the movie, about INTERPOL and all that? Yeah, don't collect money at the front door for the showing of the video when your friends are over, either. {If you cannot afford a rental fee, do what my friends and I do: one of us gets the video, another one gets snacks, and another hosts. Then we rotate duties and repeat at our next meeting.}