There's a great distance between trying to profit and trying to help others. I'd think that would play heavily in anyone's argument that also involves the word "morality."
It doesn't because ordering 9 extra mice for your friends infringes on the right of 9 people to get a single mouse for themselves...there aren't enough mice to go around, and therefore, it is very poor-form to take more than your fair share.
But if those 9 mouses are going to 9 individuals, then it's simply a wash. 9 other individuals who want mouses are getting them. No one is arguing that they want to keep mouses for themselves to hoard or sell. You fail to see this distinction, apparently.
What is the limit of fair share? Ordering a single mouse supercedes the right of someone else to buy that same one. Is 5 ok? How about 3, if I have 3 computers? Even at 1, someone else still loses out.
I'm glad you ask. Here are my stipulations:
1) Ordering 1 is acceptable because you have every right to 1 mouse that the next guy does
2) perhaps 2 or 3 would be okay too, only because it is difficult to argue against.
3) It is NOT okay to order 10,000 mice such that nobody gets a single one, REGARDLESS of your "good intentions." Therefore, there MUST be a limit to the number of mice you can order before it becomes unethical, REGARDLESS of your reasons.
4) I argue that that particular limit is way less than 10. There are almost no legitimate reasons for why someone should be able to order 10 mice if 9 other ppl would get jacked in the process.
5) If someone orders more than his "fair share," then he absolutely 100% deserves to suffer consequences directly related to his moral transgression. This includes, but is not limited to, a) getting flamed on AT, b) getting overcharged by a LOT, c) having to call compUSSR and CC, and d) going over CC limit, etc. This stipulation is based on the principles of justice and Karma.
1) fine, I've not argued that in the slightest
2) I agree there, for personal use, 2-3 is fine
3) we're not talking about 10,000, or even 1,000, or even 100. We're talking about 10. Again, if 2-3 for personal use are kept, and 7-8 are given to 7-8 other distinct individuals, then the rights of others are not infringed. 1 person receives their "entitled mouse" and the buyer has his few for use on his few computers. There is still a ridiculously large difference between the numbers you are throwing around and actual reality, and that still doesn't include your disregard for intent. Or the laws of supply and demand.
4) I don't agree that the limit is less than 10...the means by which you come up with this "number" (or lack thereof) are at once arbitrary and nonexistant. By stating that there are almost no good reasons, you admit that there are some...what are they?
5) By setting fair share arbitrarily, based on your opinions, and then attacking others, you are putting yourself above the rights of other members of this board. You are infringing on their rights at that point. And I certainly don't agree with your "stipulation based on the principles of justice and Karma," which you fail to explain fully.
I will have quite a chuckle at you tomorrow when my order goes through normally, my CC is not overcharged, and no calls are required. And I will certainly think of you when I hand out the mouses to my family and friend as mentioned in an earlier post.