We all love getting something for free. Recently, I needed to get a new desk. Reluctantly, I headed out to shop. On the way, I drove by a house that had a fabulous desk sitting on the side of the road. A helpful neighbor told me, “The realtors ran out of room in the U-Haul- they left it behind.” Pinching myself, I felt like I won the lottery- but then I had a thought… what if the neighbor was wrong, and I’m stealing?
What occurred in my head for the next 15 min. felt like an astonishingly silly personal crisis. Like a cartoon character with an Angel and Devil on each shoulder, the thoughts that surfaced went from, “It’s free! Go for it!” to an abrupt 180 degree turn to, “It’s stealing and that’s wrong!”
Rock bottom of this moral crisis came when I decided I would see what my horoscope had to say about it. Finally, (thank goodness!) critical thinking kicked in and I called the number on the realtor’s sign to double check. I was told “go right ahead”, and I shook my head at my self-created drama while I loaded up the desk.
However, this experience got me wondering… why do we love free stuff so much? Especially “free” content from the internet?
I should clarify the above statement; from a legal point of view, pirated content isn’t “free” at all- it’s illegal. However, it seems there are some differences of opinion within the legal professional itself on this topic. A 2021 survey of 50 Harvard lawyers showed that many of them feel digital piracy is quite acceptable and are generally tolerant or even supportive of it, as many don’t think of digital piracy as physical theft.
The researchers go on to say, “One of the major practical implications of our research is that it indicates that a social, cultural, and mental change in the perception of piracy has already happened.” Another way to say that is that when it comes to the moral implications of pirating, it turns out most of us are not so hung up on the black and white of things.
Recently, I was out drinks with a couple of cop friends, and I asked them about this. Eerily, they both turned and said at the same time, “On or off the record?” Aka. The politically correct answer? Or an honest one? Despite my efforts to get them to change their minds, via. buying another round or two and asking again, we just chatted as friends. (Which is probably for the best, as it’s super unethical, not to mention expensive, to get your cop friends drunk enough to spill the beans. Ironically, however, it is not illegal).
According to Psychology Today, “A positive charge is experienced when offered an unexpected gift.” That dopamine hit off my free-desk “score” lasted for days, and comes back every time I sit down to work.
As shared by DataProt, “Internet piracy isn’t ethically justifiable, but it is convenient. If you want to legally watch and rewatch The Crown, Game of Thrones, and The Handmaid’s Tale, you’ll have to pay for three separate streaming services: Netflix, HBO, and Hulu. Your monthly expenses have skyrocketed.”
Many streaming platforms, such as Netflix, have been steadily increasing their prices. According to makeuseof.com, “The cheapest plan now starts at $9.99 from the previous $8.99, while the Standard and Premium plans now cost $15.49 and $19.99, respectively.”
If I’m honest, I’m quite conflicted about all of this, and It seems, I’m not the only one. As reported by Bookriot.com, when the pirated ebook site Z-Library (which was very popular among students) got shut down in the fall of 2022, “many users… bemoaned its death.”
I absolutely agree in providing fair compensation for an artist’s work, and I believe I deserve to be compensated for my original writing (at least before A.I. pushes me out of a job). However, on the other hand, corporate monopolies make it hard to not get one’s back up; especially in current times.
That being said the law is the law… but- what about when moral laws and human laws don’t match?
As share by The Center for Medical Ethics and Health Policy, “The basic distinction between the legal and moral is easy enough to identify. Most people agree that what is legal is not necessarily moral and what is immoral should not necessarily be illegal.”
The title of this piece is actually a reference to one of the most well known literary dilemmas. The phrase “To be or not to be…” is from William Shakespeare’s Hamlet and refers to a very painful existential crisis Hamlet is pondering around his is agony of life, and the uncertainty of death.
For a more modern example, imagine you are walking along a country road and come to a deserted intersection. There are no cars anywhere, but a pedestrian sign prohibits you from crossing. After waiting a few minutes, you decide to cross the street. You have technically done something illegal, but have you done something immoral?
“Moral Relativism asserts that moral standards are culturally-defined and therefore it may be impossible to determine what is truly right or wrong.” Scenarios such the road-crossing one, bring up the question of whether we have a general moral obligation to obey laws simply because they are laws? This question is important and comes with considerable implications. If we have a general moral obligation to obey the law, then this applies to any law – even bad laws.
Ok… but what about when the laws are ridiculous?
As it turns out, some of my favorite ways to spend a weekend are illegal. It’s illegal to fly a kite in Victoria, Australia, and Winnie the Pooh t-shirts are banned in Poland school’s as, “the character a bit too risqué for children.” It’s illegal to ride a cow while drunk in Scotland and swearing the U.A.E. can send you to jail.
Laws such as these gems lead me to ponder if there’s rhyme or reason for anything anymore? Perhaps we wouldn’t need so much external regulation if we focused more on teaching our little ones accountability and how to listen to their hearts. As A.A.Milne, the author of Winnie the Pooh wisely wrote, “A little consideration, a little thought for others, makes all the difference.”
However, it’s quite possible all of this was me just trying to justify that, like most people, I simply want free stuff from time to time; like streaming a “free” show, snagging a desk, or getting a lift from a cow.
An avid book reader and proud library card holder, Angela is new to the world of e-Readers. She has a background in education, emergency response, fitness, loves to be in nature, traveling and exploring. With an honours science degree in anthropology, Angela also studied writing after graduation. She has contributed work to The London Free Press, The Gazette, The Londoner, Best Version Media, Lifeliner, and Citymedia.ca.