Right and Wrong

One of my pet peeves over the past few years has been the rampant theft of music by frum teenagers, whether through Napster (or its progeny) or by burning CDs. This disease exists across all sectors of frumkeit. MOs are stealing rock music and chareidim are stealing Shiny Shoe and Carlebach/post carlebach music.

My sense is that MO kids are taking the music because it's there and are not giving much thought to what they are doing wrong. That's pretty sad.

I think the chareidim are cognizant of the issues and are tying themselves in knots trying to teitch up why it isn't wrong. There is no such thing as intellectual property rights under halacha, dina d'malchusa dina doesn't apply, if I wasn't planning on buying the CD it's ok, and blah, blah, blah. This is even sadder.

While I know way too little to get into a halachic argument on these points, I do know in my bones, that it's wrong to take something of value without paying for it. That's a very simple concept. My parents taught me that. How is it that we've so lost our way that our kids don't recognize this?