We all try to make the best of living in Dhaka. All of us have a few little nooks and crannies in the city that make us warm ‘n fuzzy when we feel we’re missing out on the rest of the world. One such nook is Fahim Music Store.

A bragging right when abroad, we tell people, ‘Oh, Wall Street 2? Yeah, I have that on DVD already. I got it for a dollar.’ And now, with the advent of WiMAX and worthwhile broadband Internet, we’re even downloading television shows and films at a decent speed, keeping us up to date with pop culture and its idioms.

These small simplicities keep us entertained and together in a city that, let’s face it, isn’t overflowing with leisure activities. Sure, we’ve got the expat clubs and the Aurum parties. We can hop over to Bangkok and party the night away; we can pop in and out of Nepal for a day of gambling or some nature; Malaysia and Singapore give us order in the face of chaos. But day-to-day, it’s the pirated DVDs and torrented media that keep us sane.

God knows we can’t rely on VH1, Star World and HBO South Asia to fill the void. There’s just no way. Seeing the same episode of White Collar every day for the entire week is almost enough to make one eat a bullet. And, worse, we’ve got the same old schedule of the not-as-fun, censored HBO South Asia (imagine watching Wild Things censored; ugh!) repeated and repeated and repeated. By the end of the month, you’ve watched half the movie 15 times, and you never want to see Brendan Fraser again lest you be enraged into a feral fit of violence of biblical proportions, directed at your new (highly taxed) flat panel TV. Solution? Downloads and dollar DVDs.

Everyone needs escapism – and in a city without a developed social or leisure scene, we need it the most. In Dhaka, we’ve made piracy a social pastime. Anything hip from overseas is cool, and whoever’s got it first is the coolest (until something newer and cooler comes around).

What else is there to do but gossip about TMZ and chat with friends about the new Entourage episode, or the winner of Project Runway or how Gossip Girl is ‘so Dhaka?’ And then there’s the added dimension of competition. Cultural exchange is fun. Who’s the first to be up to date on the shows; who got that wicked new Rhianna track featuring The BEP, Eminem, Guetta, Arctic Monkeys and Deadmau5 mixed over Pink Martini’s Sympathtique (don’t go looking for that track; it doesn’t exist).

But it’s not just about who knew about Modern Family first; who’s cool enough to watch Boardwalk Empire; how crazy Dexter has gotten; it’s about connecting with a shared culture we all left behind. We may have left the States or Canada or London, but we haven’t said good-bye. We’re Western educated 20- and 30-somethings, and we are cultural pirates.

We’re modern; we want the latest; we’re not willing to wait for it. We’ve been exposed to a certain level of access. What is a Gleek to do? It’s not that we hate artists, or don’t appreciate the laws and regulations. It’s simply that there are no other roads that lead us to the house of global entertainment.

Living in a developing country that adopts an anti-alcohol culture and has very few venues for social leisure (and even if it did, the monstrous traffic and non-existent transport infrastructure is a barrier to entry) just doesn’t leave many outlets for an energy that’s been created, but not lost – only suppressed. And, so, we download and buy pirated movies.

It may, however, be time to wave good-bye to the last vestiges of our real-time connection to global pop culture. The last remnants of hope may be about to expire. No longer will Bangladesh be a refuge for piracy, according to the following Daily Star article published in today’s business section:

http://www.thedailystar.net/newDesign/news-details.php?nid=160255

Though the article’s focus is on protecting the local entertainment industry, the severity of the uproar caused by blocking downloads will be worse than if I ever see Brendan Fraser on TV again. Just as horny teens rebel against abstinence by listening to the very television shows that I love and fornicate to their libidos’ content, so will I rebel. Well, not so, but probably in other ways.

If reports didn’t come daily regarding strict and quick government actions on various subjects that are destined to be left unfulfilled, I’d actually be scared. Let me tell you right now, I am not wearing a pop purity ring – no matter what the Bangladesh chapter of SRT threatens will happen if I continue to let my download bar grow and grow until it’s time for seeding.