Blog 22: Hypothetical and Real Life Ethics
DUE: Oct. 5 by midnight
"Ethics is knowing the difference between what you have the right to do and what is right to do." Potter Stewart
Behaving ethically is one thing; putting a stop to unethical behavior in others is entirely another. In fact, it is the stuff of timeless literature, film, autobiography, and school curriculum! (Think Rosa Parks, Forrest Gump, etc). Doing what is right by putting a stop to something that is wrong creates heroes.
I think to some level we would all like to believe that in the face of grave unethical behavior, we would all be able to put a stop for it. Start a Revolution! Be the Hero! Hypothetically speaking...
Easier said than done.
It's one thing to talk about it, it's another thing to actually do it.
These are things that we could say about hypothetical ethics. If an person was stealing and you saw them, would you do something about it? If you witnessed the mistreatment of a pet by its owner, would you be able to put a stop to it? If a Hellgate under-classman was being bullied by a senior, would you be willing to say something to the senior? Hypothetically, I hope you would all say yes, but when the rubber meets the road, many of us are paralyzed or turn a blind eye.
Why? What are we intimidated by? Or rather, are we okay with the status quo? Do we not want to meddle in someone else's affairs? Is it none of our business? Can the pendulum of, "Not my problem" swing too far in our society so that people simply get away with unethical behavior? What stops the people in the clip from What Would You Do? What motivates those who speak up to speak up? Are some of us simply wired to do one or the other?
A few of you pointed out in your last blog responses that the reason you believe we do the 'right' thing is because of two reasons: (1) What we get out of it (be it a pat on the back or a cash reward) and (2) That we do not receive punishment. So then, I would ask, do we not put a stop to unethical behavior because we get neither of these things? Are ethics so very relative that we don't want to impress what we believe to be ethical onto someone else?
What do you think? What would you do? Be honest!
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