Re: The morality debate (again)

[Lazlo Nibble <csbrkaac@ariel.unm.edu>]

IED writes (pulled from Andy Gough's reply -- I missed IED's original):

> Lazlo and Tim Maroney are not, according to IED's definition of the
> term above, "true" Kate Bush fans. That is to say, they are _not_
> driven by an amoral, unreasoning and uncontrollable need to hear
> any and all Kate Bush music which it may come within their power to
> hear. In IED's opinion, their remarkable sacrifice of the chance to
> hear the demos is not to be admired at all, for IED knows that his
> own sense of morality is as strong--and clearly is more refined--
> than theirs. Rather, their sacrifice is to be pitied, for the only
> thing that it indicates to IED is that they do not truly live in the
> world of Kate's art. This is a fact.

I'll concede that IED is much better at being a Kate fanatic than I
am.  I've got all her albums on disc, some singles, a fair amount of
paraphenalia, and have turned several other people on to her music,
but somehow I just haven't managed to get amoral, unreasoning, or
uncontrollable about her.  That's just *me*; it's not some sort of
attempt to get "admired" or prove the refined nature of my morality.

I readily admit that I *don't* live in the world of Kate's art . . . I
live in the real world, where Kate may be one of the most incredibly
talented and amazing performers extant, but where she's not important
enough to twist the way I live my life around for.  I'm just one of
Kate's many fans -- not a fanatic.

> Their willing, even proud,
> sacrifice of access to the demos on what they claim are purely moral
> grounds is really nothing more than an unwitting admission that their
> appreciation of Kate's art is insufficient to override their rather
> ordinary and facile sense of right and wrong. And for this, IED
> pities them both.

I don't recall being particularly prideful at having missed the demos,
or even having claimed that I missed them on moral grounds.  All I'm
saying is that, in my opinion, you did the wrong thing when you pirated
Kate's stuff against her specific wishes.  I have yet to see any
defense of your actions that's made the slightest bit of sense from
outside the fanatic's perspective, which is a perspective that I really
don't have much practice in or any desire to adopt.  I simply believe
that there are some things that are just plain out-and-out *wrong*, and
what you did is one of them.  Facile and ordinary?  Maybe.  But, I
think, hardly an inappropriate feeling under the circumstances.

Please . . . save your pity.  Others need it more than I do.

                                                Lazlo (csbrkaac@ariel.unm.edu)
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"No!  Dan!  Turn the music back UP!  Oh, son of a BIIIITCH!!!"