[Silhouette]

Netflix isn't giving back to society, because we can't archive their works legally or lend them out at a public library.

This makes no sense to me. I can't archive a live theatre performance or lend it out either, but I still consider many enjoyable evenings I've spent watching a show to be worth the price of admission. I couldn't keep the video cassettes I used to rent so I could watch again later, but I still considered the fee worth paying so I could enjoy a film I otherwise hadn't seen.

Netflix also provides a temporary benefit, but in practice it almost always has enough new films or shows that I enjoy watching but wouldn't necessarily want to rewatch to justify the monthly membership fee. Given that my alternative way to watch that material would typically be buying it in a fixed format such as DVD/Blu-ray at a higher price, even though having a permanent copy offered me little extra benefit, clearly Netflix is providing a useful service that does, at least for me, offer reasonable value for money.

[dustinmoorenet]

Wouldn't it have been nice to have a video of the first Shakespeare performances? Archiving isn't just for future enjoyment, but for understanding the past.

[sametmax]

Yes. But we wouldn't consider theater than don't privide the opportunity evil.