memes

All that’s happening here is a bunch of computer nerds have figured out how to get things for free

No, all that's happened is that the state has convinced you that it's reasonable to grant someone a monopoly on the expression of an idea that lasts something like 120 years. I bet you've never even stopped to question that, or that you even know what the length of the original copyright term is. I bet you don't know the history of Hollywood, and how it ties in with copyright infringement. Or, how when the US was a new country it immediately ignored all the copyrights imposed by the British monarch.

Same thing as all the looters in California who know that they can steal up to $1,000 of merchandise from any brick and mortar store, with no consequences

Suuuuure... That happened. And now you're conflating theft with copyright infringement again. They're not at all the same.

and running out the door

Why would they be running out the door if there are no consequences? It's almost as if there would be consequences if they were caught.

Is this the kind of world you want to live in?

You mean, the current world? The one that works according to the rules you're advocating?