The Washington Post has a good story this morning, giving us a look inside the walls of knowledge at universities around the US. It is fascinating to say the least, to get inside the heads of this years students. We can learn their perception of the piracy issue and how the colleges teach and taunt at the same time.When Steve Morris, a 19-year-old American University sophomore and avowed music pirate, isn't teaching his grandmother how to use the popular file-sharing program Kazaa, also a freshman orientation leader, he warns new students about the legality of online copyright violation. Uh, well he tries.
Any questions? Well, just one, from a young man in the back row: 'What would you suggest?" 'What would I suggest in terms of what?" Morris asks from the podium. 'In terms of a program to use to download music. What's the best?" Morris fumbles: 'I'm sure lots of your friends will know ... It's important to remember to make responsible decisions ... American University isn't going to stop you, per se ... I don't download music, of course. What do you want me to say?" The students titter knowingly. They figure that anyone with a free, superfast Internet connection in his or her dorm room downloads music. Another student, Josh Gardner, 23, a second-semester junior at American University, doesn't know a single person who doesn't download music, 'so the RIAA has a pretty big job ahead of them." 'It's one of the major draws of college," Morris says. 'They promote how fast their Internet is. To people our age, you know what that means; it means how fast you can download something." Recently, American got wireless Internet, Morris notes with a laugh. 'So now, on top of everything else, we can download music in the bathroom, too!" |
To learn what else is going on in the hallowed halls of knowledge to *cough* counter this attitude, point your browser to the Washington Post!
Source: msnbc.com
