Quote:
Originally Posted by l_macd
It is morally wrong though. The problem with that is that some people don't have any morals and even more so when it comes to making money. As you rightly point out, until they realise it's maybe affecting them too, then they rediscover some morals....
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No it is not an issue of morals at all.
It is an issue of ethics.
Check your definitions.
Laws are what the state demands of a "good" citizen.
Mores are the customs a community expects a good citizen to follow.
Ethics are what each of us believes to define proper personal behavior.
If you have legal standing, you can use the state to force obedience to laws.
If you can raise a mob you can intimidate acquiescence to mores.
But neither the state nor name-calling mobs can compel a person to adopt somebody else's code of ethics.
Unless a community vilifies you for walking out of a store empty-handed, it is not immoral. Unless the state passes a law forcing you to buy, it is not illegal.
All you can do to a person who does not conform to your code of ethics is call them unethical. And since 90% of humanity doesn't believe in ethics--just brute force and intimidation--they'll likely shrug it off.
If you truly believe browsing is wrong, contact your MP to pass a law. Or mount a picket to raise awareness of this issue. If your community shares that belief and sees it as a violation of mores and customs you'll find plenty of support.