the ethicist

Author: Amanda Greene

I can't remember the last time I paid for music. Or videos. The notion that people go into record stores and exchange cash for albums is foreign to college students. Why would we pay for something that we can get from our friends or neighbors?

Yet, all of the music trading that is facilitated by the Internet is means for concern. Internet music sites get shut down because they are illegal. Students know that downloading music from campus servers is less than kosher, but we do it anyway. And we don't feel guilty about it. We feel resourceful and adept at "beating the system."

I am an advocate of music stealing/sharing/exchange. I don't think I've ever met a college student who isn't. How do we justify our actions? College students are poor - we don't have incomes. We have to spend hundreds of dollars on textbooks. Any extra cash we have is used to pay for an occasional meal out. Valentine's Day dinner anyone?

The Metropolitan Museum of Art has an admission policy that considers economic background. Visitors to the Met can pay as much, or as little as they want to. The suggested student donation is 10 dollars but tickets can be obtained for free. An individual contributes an amount that he is comfortable with and that is proportional to the size of his pocketbook. Ultimately, how much each individual pays for a ticket is based on an honors system. The heiress to the Hostess cupcake fortune can pay less than the struggling musician. She'll have terrible karma but the choice is hers to make. Apply this principle to students' stealing/sharing/exchanging music and Midd-kids emerge as respectable, upstanding community members. I'll pay my dues to the copyright community when I have a six-figure salary, or (more realistically) an apartment with heat, running water and electricity.



And now for this week's question:

Q: I was abroad this past fall and am now back on campus. While abroad, my eyes were opened to the world and its problems, and I find myself returning to campus as a much more conscious member of society with a hunger to fix things. Meanwhile, it seems like most of my friends are stuck in box as far as caring about things going on in the world and their na'veté frustrates me. What is my role in educating my friends?

- Harried-by-Home



A: The conversations you have with friends can address as little, or as much of your frustrations. You, as someone who has been away, have experienced different things and it is natural for you to want to share some of what you have learned with those whom you are closest to. Yet, living elsewhere for six months does not make you a moral expert, or someone who has the experience or authority to tell others how they should relate to the world at large. I encourage you to facilitate an open and informed discussion with your friends, but would caution against presenting yourself as someone whose views carry more weight because you have lived elsewhere.

Want to consult the ethicist? Send submissions to amgreen@middlebury.edu.