@Badass:
I'm not sure I understand. What's ridiculous about it? It's the truth. Other countries don't have access to the Funimation Simulcast, so they obviously can't support it. When you look at it, the U.S. is the ONLY country that has access to the simulcast, with Canada only having limited access.
If we were in their position, we would be opposed to this suggestion just as they are.
Don't believe me? Look at the whole Unlimited Cruise backlash and compare that to the backlash from the countries that didn't get Unlimited Adventure.
But Arlong Park is a forum for discussion with existing discussions on those fansubs, and it shouldn't be taken away just because some people want it to.
The people on these forums are from all over the world, and that means that many don't have access to the simulcast and rely on fansubs to watch One Piece. And:
If these links are so easy to find, then why do we have to worry about putting links on the forums (Which, by the way, doesn't happen very often. Mostly in the Manga section, and usually just for reference)?
They're not really up to date. They are behind in many countries. Granted, they're not far behind, but they're still behind.
Which are only available in America with limited access to Canadians.
Don't mean to make this anything personal, by the way. All I'm saying is that fansub discussion being endorsed by the forum have more negative consequences than positive. I think Toonzone is actually a good example of how a forum could work without explicitly endorsing fansubs. Of course, for some time at least, people discussed series that were only available via fansub, but they don't put a link or mention a group that fansubs it. I think that should work fine for this forum. Remember, Toei, Funimation, and other companies lurk around the One Piece community more than you'd think. I think it'd bode well for all countries, especially those without simulcasts, if we tamped down on explicit fansub mentions and endorsements.
What I'm saying here is that you can have a very exciting, engaging, and open discussion while not explicitly endorsing fansub groups (a la the Yibis Forum, or the General Fansub forum, or any of the threads specifically endorsing groups).
I understand you may think this a nationalistic thing. It's not. Personally I think it'll be better for all countries if the international One Piece community was a little quieter about the fact that they view fansubs. And for Americans, it's even more important. If Americans watch fansubs instead of legal streaming, it ruins it for every other country. Toei will think: well the simulcast isn't doing well and people in the U.S.A. are obviously still watching fansubs…why should we try this radical experiment again? Remember: Japanese companies are really hesitant to bring new Internet material even in their own country. And with what happened last May….well we're on unsure footing already.