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Monday, February 01, 2010
Ethical Dilemmas on Fox 25
Discussion with Gene Lavanchy this morning about everyday ethical dilemmas on "The Morning Show" on Fox 25, Boston's Fox affiliate. Also mention of Real Simple magazine's ethics quiz.
This may be redundant to previous comments (which I read after writing the comment below . . .
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RE: SOUND OFF: LOOTER OR HERO?
During emergencies such as hurricanes, explosions, earthquakes, etc., people are driven to extreme behaviors, depending on their situations. Rather than focus on the usual “rule of law” viewpoint, we must realize that almost all of us would do whatever necessary, short of inflicting physical injury to others, to feed, protect, or otherwise care for our families, in the face of a similar disaster.
Looting during natural disasters can be need or greed. Looting to feed one’s family could be condoned under many circumstances – looting to sell goods and profit, not so honorable.
We should remember that a “State of Emergency” (which Haiti is) implies many things, including changes of citizen behavior and “morality” (nearly all the Haiti citizens are church-goers). People under the kind of stress and need as those in Haiti are – a situation not experience by those of us in 99% of America – in a unique “survival” situation.
So I say, “cut ‘em some slack,” change your prospective, and use your energy to write a check to your favorite charity that is supporting Haiti relief programs, and perhaps fewer disenfranchised victims will behave differently.
1 comment:
This may be redundant to previous comments (which I read after writing the comment below . . .
____________________
RE: SOUND OFF: LOOTER OR HERO?
During emergencies such as hurricanes, explosions, earthquakes, etc., people are driven to extreme behaviors, depending on their situations. Rather than focus on the usual “rule of law” viewpoint, we must realize that almost all of us would do whatever necessary, short of inflicting physical injury to others, to feed, protect, or otherwise care for our families, in the face of a similar disaster.
Looting during natural disasters can be need or greed. Looting to feed one’s family could be condoned under many circumstances – looting to sell goods and profit, not so honorable.
We should remember that a “State of Emergency” (which Haiti is) implies many things, including changes of citizen behavior and “morality” (nearly all the Haiti citizens are church-goers). People under the kind of stress and need as those in Haiti are – a situation not experience by those of us in 99% of America – in a unique “survival” situation.
So I say, “cut ‘em some slack,” change your prospective, and use your energy to write a check to your favorite charity that is supporting Haiti relief programs, and perhaps fewer disenfranchised victims will behave differently.
Jan Bohren – Croton-on-Hudson, NY
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