MobileRead Forums - View Single Post - So I bought a blacklisted Kindle off Craigslist

Rebo · 10-03-2010, 01:14 PM

Very interesting thread. As reflected in here, moral standard and the degree of righteous is not absolute but rather depends on circumstances and the collective view point of a given community. I'll too throw in my 2 cents. Let us look at the following scenarios:

1) Found a penny on the street
2) Found $25000 on the street
3) Bought a $120 stolen/lost Kindle on Craigslist
4) Bought a $25000 stolen/lost ruby pendant in Jewelry Mart
5) Override DRM protection from purchased ebooks for reading in another ereader
6) Override patent protection of a competitors design to mass produce in the market
7) Default the bank on a mortgage that the homeowner can afford to pay

Most of the people agree 1) is of little or no consequence since the monetary value is so small. The forum here has a huge debate on 3) since the monetary value starts to infringe on the comfort zone. 2) and 4) should be clean cut offenses as there is a clear victim who suffer significant losses and want the items back.

Similarly, we debate quite a bit on this forum on 5) stripping DRM for personal use and there is no clear winner since it depends on personal belief and the consequence of such action seems minimal. 7) defaulting the bank on mortgage is a strange phenomenon here in the United States. People think it is no big deal to default the bank since they are big pocket. We all know the consequences as the whole country is paying deeply for these foreclosures.

Every action carries some consequences and the real impact to the society is the repetitive and collective execution of all these actions by the masses. As someone has mentioned it, the law helps reinforce society's moral standards and protects the common belief of said society. Without the law, depending on personal belief, either we get too stringent or people will run wild if they think they can get away with it.

Go back to the original post. There is nothing wrong for the OP to keep the kindle and there is no need to throw insult at him. On the other hand, the words from the self-righteous is good "words for thought" for our community since it helps to keep our collective moral standard at check.

10-03-2010, 01:14 PM	#181
Rebo Groupie Posts: 173 Karma: 392 Join Date: Jul 2010 Device: nook, nook color, kindle 3, Ipad 2nd gen, Nook HD+, Iphone 4S	Very interesting thread. As reflected in here, moral standard and the degree of righteous is not absolute but rather depends on circumstances and the collective view point of a given community. I'll too throw in my 2 cents. Let us look at the following scenarios: 1) Found a penny on the street 2) Found $25000 on the street 3) Bought a $120 stolen/lost Kindle on Craigslist 4) Bought a $25000 stolen/lost ruby pendant in Jewelry Mart 5) Override DRM protection from purchased ebooks for reading in another ereader 6) Override patent protection of a competitors design to mass produce in the market 7) Default the bank on a mortgage that the homeowner can afford to pay Most of the people agree 1) is of little or no consequence since the monetary value is so small. The forum here has a huge debate on 3) since the monetary value starts to infringe on the comfort zone. 2) and 4) should be clean cut offenses as there is a clear victim who suffer significant losses and want the items back. Similarly, we debate quite a bit on this forum on 5) stripping DRM for personal use and there is no clear winner since it depends on personal belief and the consequence of such action seems minimal. 7) defaulting the bank on mortgage is a strange phenomenon here in the United States. People think it is no big deal to default the bank since they are big pocket. We all know the consequences as the whole country is paying deeply for these foreclosures. Every action carries some consequences and the real impact to the society is the repetitive and collective execution of all these actions by the masses. As someone has mentioned it, the law helps reinforce society's moral standards and protects the common belief of said society. Without the law, depending on personal belief, either we get too stringent or people will run wild if they think they can get away with it. Go back to the original post. There is nothing wrong for the OP to keep the kindle and there is no need to throw insult at him. On the other hand, the words from the self-righteous is good "words for thought" for our community since it helps to keep our collective moral standard at check.