Sadly the post is opinion and not fact based. While it makes some quality points, perception being one of them, your underlying arguments are flawed and based only on the opinions/perceptions of the people you have read and the opinions you have formed because of that "research."
The pirate take of freedom is nothing but an illusion that continues to choke the life from Low Sec to this very day. They want freedom but no consequences for their actions. They want targets to shoot yet they offer nothing in return.
In fact, most pirates offer services and opportunities for the enterprising entrepreneur. You just need to know where to look, who to talk to, who is trustworthy, and of course accept a margin of acceptable and profitable loss. I know of more than one industrialist that make incredible profits by supporting and supplying small to mid sized pirate corps with ships, and logistics that would otherwise be unavailable barring the use of alts. Black Frog is one good example and well known.
The thing that really makes me chuckle about your fact-based argument is when you take the time to call pirates, assholes,
The only place they can be an asshole and get flashy red in the process.
That sets the tone, the perception, if you will, of your entire argument. You perceive pirates as assholes so that is the idea that pushes the rest of your post. Pirates just play the game differently than say a carebear. Does that make them any more of an asshole than a bear? or than any other player in the game? no.
You, like the angry carebear who has just been killed in lowsec, are spreading the perception that lowsec is dangerous and impassible. I can't even recall the last time when I was carefully moving through lowsec that I died to a gatecamp, or a smartbombing BS. It's only when I don't pay attention or just warp to 0 that I die in stupid ways, and even that hasn't happened in quite a while, despite my flailing attempts!
In my opinion you are falsely accusing lowsec of being higher risk than nullsec. To the unwary, who think of it as just a step down in risk from highsec, of course it is risky, you are going from a PvP with "flags" (wars, can flags, ninja's etc) area to one where you can be attacked at any time. The same caution used in nullsec should also be used in low and last I looked IS BEING USED IN LOWSEC by those people who live there.
Maybe your argument would be more convincing if your said in the short term lowsec is more dangerous given the following,
1. you aren't using a scout or due diligence when transporting valuable goods through lawless lands
2. you don't do any research on how to survive or thrive in the lowsec area you are just about to try to live in.
3. you expect lowsec to be as safe as highsec around stations and gates.
4. you don't expect every T;D;H coming along to be actively trying to kill you.
5. you don't make contact with the pirates in that area to try to create an understanding or even scout them to see what their movement patterns are/engagements/foes/friends etc.
It would be like living in w-space, but never even opening your dscanner while you ran a site in a class 1 or 2 wormhole. You are ASKING to be taken unaware and killed. It's even worse than that, because you still have full local functionality. There is approximately no reason for a smart mission runner or semi smart belt ratter to ever be caught in lowsec. Just like in nullsec.
So why do you say lowsec is more dangerous than nullsec? Is it because you are actively hunted in far greater number than in null, not really the truth given the numbers of roaming gangs we see in our corner of null. Perhaps it's because there is a lack of an alliance or coalition wide intel channel letting you know 5 jumps before hostiles are on top of you, not that it's not just as possible to put a system like that in place on your own + friends in lowsec. Even with that channel people still die. Let's look at how lowsec is safer than nullsec.
In Lowsec there are always safe stations to retreat to, you can store your goods inside and there is nothing the pirates can do to get into them and take them from you or at the very least deprive you of access to those items. Jump clones means you can leave your stuff there, completely safe and go off and do something else if the pirates in your area are determined to camp you in place. Nullsec on the other hand see's changes of owners of station systems on a fairly regular basis. One could lose a fleet of ships there or if they manage a POS and their POS is put under siege they could lose just as much in CSAA's and corp hangars out there Not to mention moon-goo profits.
If you enter null with the same failures/assumptions of invincibility, you are going to die. Likely in the first null system you jump into because of the 24/7 camp that happens to sit there and the fact that you are just as fresh meat to them as you would be to pirates in lowsec.
Is lowsec dangerous? yes. Isn't part of that question also supposed to be, is lowsec supposed to be dangerous?
Is lowsec broken? Perhaps to some it is. Could it do with some looking at, of course it could but then so could almost every aspect of every game created. I might not say that everything is functioning "perfectly." But neither is lowsec in a downward spiral. Lowsec is still currently very similar to how it was when I first started playing. a little worse in some area's and a little better in others. But overall...
Lowsec survival links for those too lazy to go find them.
Eve wiki
Forum link by Kessiaan
Prowler lowsec fit
