Can a bureaucracy with no regulatory apparatus to balance ends justification of means be truly evil? You bet! The debate came up recently on Gizmodo in the guise of a debate on the true intentions of the RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America).

For the uninitiated the RIAA purports to protect artists and the music industry at large by ensuring they get paid for what they do. But the legal arm of the recording industry will sue any middle class family with a teenager accused of file sharing. The RIAA’s raison d’ etre is an outmoded broad brush, a gift from a 1998 Congress called the Digital Millennium Copyright Act.

I support Gizmodo’s boycott of the RIAA

A reader wrote in to Adam Frucci of Gizmodo in defense of the RIAA arguing at least they’re well intentioned. Reader “Rob” doesn’t like the lawsuits any more than anyone else but he says it’s because the RIAA is simply short sighted and ignorant of the power of ‘open source’ content.

I liked Adam’s response but I don’t think he was firm enough. Yes, as a matter of fact Rob and many Gizmodo commentors like “Aua” - the lumbering bureaucracy with no self regulation that commits evil is still by definition evil. Aua uses Haliburton and capitalism in general as an example. One could use Citibank and others accused of dubious business practices. He says since they’re business they’re bereft of responsibility for their actions.

While it’s true that despite some problems - capitalism has provided the most good for the most people on this planet (an assertion I’m sure many would argue that I will stand behind). However it doesn’t mean the Citibanks and Haliburtons are off the hook for the kind of world they perpetuate. The responsibility is yours! Invest your money in ethical funds and buy into the kind of world you want to live in.

This is why I support Gizmodo’s boycott of the RIAA.

What would you do if you walked into a mom and pop store to buy a pint of milk and a tyrannical business owner was abusing employees? Rob and Aua argue that the owner is not responsible because he is simply doing business. It’s the job of media to report on abusive store owners especially when their stores are too large for us to see who is behind the counter.