WEEKLY GROSS-OUT: Freeloading

The dishonour this week goes to those who freeload, and more importantly, to those who encourage it. According to Wiktionary, a freeloader is one who does not contribute or pay appropriately; one who gets a free ride, etc., without paying his or her fair share. In 2008, I went to Melbourne for a week and the trams there did not have anybody manning the ticket machines to make sure the passengers paid. And yes, I did pay for my tram rides. Also, one cinema in my hometown seems to be encouraging freeloaders on one of the sites that it posts its session times on. This page has not just the movie times but also tells you which auditorium each session is in. This information, which is not normally released until you buy your ticket(s), might be useful to somebody who is planning to sneak in for free, especially considering that this particular location rarely conducts ticket checks (except during film festivals), and (even though it's not related to the main topic) there is no legroom there unless you sit all the way up the front and tilt your head up so you can see the screen. And there is also an example of somebody who is helping freeloaders avoid the consequences of their dishonesty: one website based in Sweden encourages fare-dodging on public transport mainly in the cities of Stockholm and Goteborg by selling an insurance policy where, if you get fined for not paying the fare, they will pay your fine. The concept of you doing the crime and somebody else doing the time is just like that rubbish about Jesus dying on the cross for our sins. So don't be some stupid freeloading piece of scum.