One of the joys of living in Juarez is that I can do illegal things without feeling bad about them. Unlike the many illegal activities that take place in this city, mine does not hurt anybody. In fact, after a careful philosophical analysis, I think I am helping the local economy and creating great get-togethers with my friends.

My favorite pastime lately is to buy movies before they are at the theatres. I have seen the latest blockbusters three months before they even hit the big screen.

Instead of paying $9 and worrying that I will have a big head in front of me in the theatre, I can watch the newest movies in my living room. No overpriced popcorn, no rushed trips to the restroom and no people making out near me.

With a quick trip downtown, for $2.50 I have unlimited choices of action, horror, drama and comedy. However, I tend to pick the movies that have a guarantee. I like to test the movies before I buy them. If there isn’t a DVD and a TV at the booth, I don’t even bother stopping.

The people that sell the pirated movies in Juarez are out in the open at the Mercado and on the streets of several thrift stores. They usually have a table covered with movies and several boxes underneath the table. The good places play the movies for you and show you the quality of the picture and the sound. They even give you a brief review of the movie and provide helpful suggestions depending on your taste. They insist the movies are “original” meaning that they are an authentic copy of the movie and not a recording of the movie.

Last year, you could still see some movies that were taped at the theatre. Somebody would sneak a camcorder into the theatre while the movie was playing and then sell the footage. The image would be shaky and somewhere in the middle of the movie you could see the shadow of somebody walking across the screen or hear somebody’s cell phone going off.

That was last year, but the technology of the bootlegging industry has evolved.
Now the movies come with subtitles and special features. The box even comes with a color picture and the DVD is labeled.

This week, I found many options: "Sex and The City," "Iron Man," "You don’t mess with the Zohan" and "Kung Fu Panda." I decided to buy "Super Bad" because I never had a chance to see it; however they only had "Super Cool," which was the same movie only with a different title.

For me, the most important aspect of buying pirated movies is not that I save money and have great reunions at my house, but it is that I feel like I am helping the poor people who sell them. Of course, it is not a purely selfless act. But the people that sell the movies, who are mostly young men, have a job from it. And most of the poor people in Juarez who can’t afford to go to the movies, whom are many, are able to receive entertainment at an affordable price.

In terms of ethical utilitarianism, my action is directed towards achieving the greatest amount of utility or good, for me and the people involved in my action. I know a counterargument will be: “What about the movie industry?” Well, they have plenty of money and the people in Juarez need it more than they do.

In this city in particular, I would rather see young men selling pirated movies than to be involved in other illicit activities. So as a pragmatist, I still defend my action. It is more practical for me to save than to spend more and to have these hundreds of people without a job. In this specific context, there is no immediate harm done to anyone.

So as long as I don’t find a convincing reason to stop buying new releases for $2.50 I will stick to my philosophical conclusions.

However, I have to be honest; the bottom line is that I’m not a utilitarian, a pragmatist or a contextualist. I am simply a philosophy teacher who enjoys a good bargain.