OK, I steal cable. In a fit of remorse yesterday I detached the happy white line and watched (gasp) regular television. Seinfeld was on.
There are many rationalizations for receiving a service that you're not paying for, and remaining guilt-free about it. I didn't actually hook it up; a friend did. They're not losing any money on me because I wouldn't pay for it anyway. And the best one, it's not really stealing.
But is it? I put the question to five coworkers tonight and, with one exception, they said don't worry about it.* Few things in this life are free; better enjoy them when they come along. Besides, Comcast overcharges for things like hooking up each room, and they overcharge and don't live up to their special offers. 3 of 5 of us had received cable for free at some point, and none had remorse.
Maybe that's the right attitude. But there's something that doesn't feel so wholesome about it. And what's really been bugging me is how much TV I've been watching. In the last six months, I'd developed a fond relationship with season 4 of Sex in the City, Detroit Animal Cops, and Queer Eye for the Straight Guy. Sure, I don't have to go to friends houses anymore. The world just opens up right there through my television screen, with just the click of a button.
I can go home and hook up the cable again. I can call the company and find out how much basic cable costs. I can rejoin NetFlix, which is pretty fabulous, and rent all those documentaries I'd like to see, like 7 Up and all the other Ups.
Anyway, whether it's ethics or morality of just plain bad behavior, for now, the cable stay uncabled. So there. Maybe I'll sleep just a little better in my halo of goodness. At least, I'll sleep more, since there are no more bad movies to watch...
*Addendum: When I put the issue to the folks who were *working* late at the office (instead of *drinking* late) the data skewed very differently. One Good Guy even paid me a high compliment: "Well, I'm sure you meant to pay." I had to correct him. In his case, he had to convince the cable company to charge him. They came to his house, hooked up the cable, gave him the box, and left. No bill ever arrived. Every time he called to complain that he wasn't being charged, the service person told him that he wasn't a subscriber (so go away). "They made it really hard," Good Guy said. "To pay." So I dedicate this here blog entry to the folks who do the right thing, because it's the right thing to do. Last night, I surfed through all those channels of static -- and watched the local news.
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