Are rules meaningless if not enforced?

If rules are not enforced, is it wrong to ignore them?

Two different readers shared two different but similar stories recently.

One of the readers recounted how a neighborhood baseball field had signs on its fence indicating dogs were not allowed on the field. Another reader wondered about passengers who pulled over to the side of the road to dump plastic garbage bags into public waste cans that had signs on them indicating no household trash was allowed. In each case, the reader mentioned that these weren’t one-time observations of rules violations.

The baseball park was regularly full of dogs and owners unless a baseball game was in progress. The reader noticing the household trash in the public bin regularly saw different people depositing a bag of trash from their car.

Neither of the readers ever witnessed any official policing the area. Officials did, however, regularly ticket illegally parked cars in the lot next to the baseball field.

Since the number of dogs being let onto the field seemed to be growing, that reader asked if it was implied that it was really OK for dogs to be allowed to roam since the regulation was not enforced.

The reader's question reminded me of a public presentation I once participated in in Madison, Wisconsin.

The presentation was about ethics in business and a local interviewer was asking me questions on stage. When the time came for audience questions, a gentleman stood up and pointed out that a sign on the door of what seemed to be a newly renovated auditorium indicated that no food or drinks were allowed in the auditorium. He questioned whether the two bottles of water next to the interviewer and me sent a message that the rules didn’t apply to us. He was trying to make a point about the inconsistency of the rule application even if most might find it acceptable for a speaker to need a gulp of water during a presentation. Nevertheless, he was right to raise the question.

If rules or regulations are set, then presumably they are set for a reason. In the case of the dogs, it could be a public health issue if the walkers are not rigorous about picking up after their pets. By forbidding the dumping of private trash in a public bin, it might be an effort to make sure that the bins aren’t overflowing or that people aren’t taxing the public services offered in a town in which they might not live.

But just because the rules are not being enforced does not mean it’s OK to not follow the rules. “But that guy did it,” is not justification for others to do something wrong as well. The right thing for individuals is to follow the rules. And the right thing for whoever has jurisdiction over the baseball field or trash can is to enforce the rules as much as they would enforce parking regulations.

And while it might seem understood, it wouldn’t hurt for that sign on the auditorium door to add the phrase, “unless you’re presenting on stage.”

Jeffrey L. Seglin, author of "The Simple Art of Business Etiquette: How to Rise to the Top by Playing Nice," is a senior lecturer in public policy, emeritus, at Harvard's Kennedy School. He is also the administrator of www.jeffreyseglin.com, a blog focused on ethical issues. 

Do you have ethical questions that you need to have answered? Send them to jeffreyseglin@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter @jseglin

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