Indeed. Tis the nature of capitalism. So many people are griping about the "greed" of capitalism these days, but if socıalısm were in charge Bond wouldn't even exist as a franchise, let alone as a special edition DVD release.
So take your pick. You want a socıalıst world then there will be no more Bond movies at all.
In a capitalist world there will be Bond movies and all kinds of DVD releases (yes, to make money) and yes, to line their pockets, but that is the way it is. It's irritating at times, but they are running a business. Really good stuff only comes to capitalist societies. The more socıalıstic, the less freedom, the less creativity and ability to make money.
Honour is still compatable with a capitalist system however. They could have provided extras of this quality the first time round had they wanted to, but they knew people would be willing to buy a "bells and whistles" edition a little while down the line. True, they're not forcing anyone to buy this new edition but I still feel it's the paying customers who get short changed.
And I would never reject or support a system based on the potential effect on Bond movies! Does that mean I'm not a real fan?
By the way, I complete agree about your statement regarding honor - but alas, honor is going by the wayside in much of our society. The problem is, companies are too short sighted, and end up losing profits out of their greed. For Capitalism to work at its best, it must be governed by integrity and the longer term concerns.
For example, the oil companies are raising prices rather rapidly in the U.S. True, on the books, they are making record profits, however, their profits are diminished by:
1. A weakening dollar and economy related to the increase of gas prices.
2. Increased costs of goods and services related to gas prices.
3. Decreased usage of gas (and therefore sales) because of gas prices.
4. Hostility from the public directed at the oil companies for their greed.
The end result is (because they are being short sighted and failing to exercise integrity) they are starting to decrease the value of their record profits because of the overall impact on the ecomony. In other words, the value of their profits is now LOWER because of the negative impact of gas prices on the economy.
The same thing does happen to entertainment companies. They push profit without consideration of the long term, and end up hurting themselves. People turn more frequently to illegal sources of entertainment. People are less likely to purchase products in anticipation of later releases. Some are even offended by a company to the extent that they will not purchase their products.
A perfect example are Universal's television DVD releases. Universal so often cuts costs on their DVD releases of TV seasons (cheap menu systems, two sides discs, very few extras) that they now have a reputation for poor quality - and that hurts sales big time. So, in the process of trying to save a little bit of money, they end up losing more money in the long run.
So lack of integrity usually ends up costing a company money. But that again is capitalism at work. In socıalısm, quality doesn't matter, so integrity (and quality) really goes down the drain.
The best releases in my recent memory have been the Lord of the Rings releases (since everyone knew the extended versions were forthcoming). Hey, I still bought both!
