it's really up to you

one can make a difference -- that's all i can say.

that, and that the desire to do the right thing -- when taken to the next level and actually translated to working to do the right thing -- reaps rewards in forms that can't ever be quantified.

here's something i dug up from an old issue of Woman Today magazine. the advice column tackles an oft-ignored issue nowadays. for others, it's not an issue.

i'm posting it here hopefully to provide other perspectives on the matter of piracy.

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Dear Trixie,

I have seen many ads; even MTV VJs speak out against piracy. There was even a feature on TV showing a local band talking about the issue and how artists lose money when people buy fake CDs. I have some pirated CDs in my collection because it’s the only way I can buy CDs with my allowance! I’m confused about this piracy issue and I would just like to ask your opinion. Thanks a lot!

- MB20 4evr

Dear MB20 4evr,

Hi! I know what you mean about how buying those cheap CDs can seem logical. When a CD is available for P50, why buy one that costs P375, right?

Instead of telling you what to do, let me just point out a few things:

Laws are made for a reason. Traffic lights and pedestrian lanes, for example, are established not to make life harder for us, but to facilitate activity on the road. Traffic lights…what for? For the purpose of smooth flow of vehicles going in different directions. Without lights: utter chaos (especially in Manila)! Pedestrian lanes…what for? So people can cross streets safely and motorists know where they should be especially cautious. Without lanes: people crossing anywhere, motorists stopping every few meters to let people cross, and lives being put in danger constantly!

But we know that there will always be violators of these rules, or else it would be a perfect world. Jaywalking, speeding, beating the red light and the like are bound to occur from time to time. This doesn’t change the fact, however, that rules are made for the purpose of putting some order into society in the first place.

In the same way, rules regarding manufacturing, property rights and running businesses have been set down…simple as that. But some people prefer to take shortcuts especially when it comes to making profits. I’m referring to pirates who reproduce merchandise with no regard for the law and no respect for the intellectual property they are making money out of. Besides breaking the law, these pirates are draining the legitimate establishments—the music industry, video rental shops and every worker involved in such ventures. Which would you rather support—a legitimate or an illegitimate business?

Another thing: consider the nature of these CDs, VCDs and DVDs. Are they basic necessities? Does our survival depend on having them in our possession? If you answer in the affirmative, you may have to do some rethinking; differentiate between ‘needs’ and ‘wants.’

When a CD is so cheap, it’s easy to buy one after another without giving it a second thought. And you know what you deprive yourself of when you develop this habit? A virtue that never goes out of style—one that you need in order to find ultimate peace and happiness in the long run: temperance. If you don’t know what that is, well, it’s never too late to learn. Look it up and take steps to develop it. A suggested first step: stop thinking that you need to buy all those CDs, VCDs (original or otherwise) and other things to survive. YOU DON’T.

Personally, it was the cover story of an issue of Time magazine that opened my eyes to the global magnitude of the piracy problem. When I read how members of international law enforcement agencies were getting killed in the process of tracking down the outlaws, I told myself I’d rather be part of the solution than part of the problem. What about you?

- Trixie

- from Woman Today (Sept. 25, 2002)