Is it alright to mention breaking the law in a secondary if it isn't illegal in the US?

[whatever5]

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So this is kind of an odd situation -

I grew up in the middle east where western media was either prohibited or heavily censored, and in a secondary topic I wanted to talk about self teaching myself English when I was a kid by watching movies I bought off of a movie smuggler. I think I would technically be admitting to breaking the law even though by western standards it's probably no big deal. Is it alright to mention this?

 

[deleted407021]

I'm interested to hear what those in the know think but, by my estimation, you're a total bad@ss. Bettering oneself against the odds seems very commendable.

 

[avgn]

Bettering oneself against the odds seems very commendable.

I think it would take a very petty admissions officer to find this of poor taste. Actually, I can think of no [reasonable] individual in the U.S. who would complain about your demonstrated determination to learn English. Even the xenophobic rednecks would cry "MURICA" at the glee of others trying to learn "their" language.

 

[Affiche]

@Goro @gyngyn

 

[NotASerialKiller]

Haha, yeah this is a really interesting question. Definitely eager to hear what the adcoms have to say.

 

[Goro]

Perfectly OK to talk about!

So this is kind of an odd situation -

I grew up in the middle east where western media was either prohibited or heavily censored, and in a secondary topic I wanted to talk about self teaching myself English when I was a kid by watching movies I bought off of a movie smuggler. I think I would technically be admitting to breaking the law even though by western standards it's probably no big deal. Is it alright to mention this?

 

[Rainbow Zebra]

Fighting the tyranny of oppression. But doesn't a lot of folks in Middle east have "secret" disk networks, so families are watching western tv, basically like driving 85 in a 75 mile speed zone?? What was the punishment if caught? I thought this was a highly flaunted law, but maybe I'm thinking of the wrong country.

 

[whatever5]

Thanks everyone for the help!

To answer your question @Rainbow Zebra , yes, a lot of people do break that particular law and you are unlikely to get caught. To be honest I don't know what the official penalty for getting caught is, but considering the country in question's track record, I'm sure it's not good.

 

[Rainbow Zebra]

Thanks everyone for the help!

To answer your question @Rainbow Zebra , yes, a lot of people do break that particular law and you are unlikely to get caught. To be honest I don't know what the official penalty for getting caught is, but considering the country in question's track record, I'm sure it's not good.

Just be careful not to embellish it too much, as there are quite a few middle eastern folks as faculty/student interviewers, and they may call you out on it.

 

[nwts]

I would also make sure that the focus is on your desire to learn English and not on your law-breaking. If you focus too much on the fact that you did something illegal, you can come across as a person who gets thrill out of breaking rules, and this will not be viewed positively.

 

[whatever5]

Just be careful not to embellish it too much, as there are quite a few middle eastern folks as faculty/student interviewers, and they may call you out on it.

Call me out on what exactly? I wasn't planning on saying I Oceans Eleven'd a stockpile of illegal movies, just that I bought them from a street vendor.

 

[nwts]

Call me out on what exactly? I wasn't planning on saying I Oceans Eleven'd a stockpile of illegal movies, just that I bought them from a street vendor.

I think Rainbow Zebra is saying that you shouldn't overly emphasize the illegality of it if it is something that a bunch of people do and nobody gets caught. For example, don't go on and on about the huge risks you took to get those movies if a bunch of people do it and nobody ever gets caught.

 

[Ad2b]

Want to applaud you for trying to better yourself under a tyrannical law. Good luck on your cycle!!