September 1, 2010
For several years, I have been using a hypothetical in my business ethics courses involving the head of a non-profit who brings in a fundraising whiz to help the organization survive. While he is settling in and before he has had time to rescue the organization with his fundraising wizardry, she has asked the staff to accept a freeze on raises and hiring, and has cut other expenses, and even some staff. She asks the new fundraiser to live with his dilapidated office, though she had promised him a redecoration while recruiting him. But he objects: Keep reading →
Filed under Business & Commercial, Government & Politics, Leadership, U.S. Society
Tags: President Obama, rationalizations, integrity, trust, trustworthiness, consistency, appearances, mortgage crisis, frugality, White House, economic recovery, remodeling, working conditions, recession
August 31, 2010
As I previously noted, the “Ground Zero Mosque” controversy is an epic “ethics train wreck” that has spread its destruction far and wide, across regional, ideological and national borders, leaving confusion, misunderstanding and bad feelings in its wake. Now is as good a time as any to take stock of the situation, and to recognize those who have distinguished themselves during the carnage, for good or ill. To this end, Ethics Alarms presents its first annual (and hopefully last ever) awards for outstanding ethical and unethical conduct during the whole mess, “The Mosquies.”
The envelope, please… Keep reading →
Filed under Around the World, Citizenship, Etiquette and manners, Government & Politics, History, Journalism & Media, Leadership, Professions, Race, Religion and Philosophy, U.S. Society
Tags: ethics, fairness, The Golden Rule, respect, empathy, responsibility, Ethics Train Wreck, Sarah Palin, Glenn Beck, tolerance, conservative talk radio, Islam, the U.S. Constitution, Newt Gingrich, New York City, religious freedom, "Tea Party" movement, 9-11, Martin Luther King, Ground Zero, Anti-Defamation League, Muslims, The Second Niggardly Principle, Rev. Al Sharpton, Cordoba House, Howard Dean, Mark Levin, "I Have a Dream", Richard Cohen, Al Qaeda, Daisy Khan, Imam Feisal Rauf, Christiane Amanpour, Islamophobia, Holocaust, Joseoh Haydn, Pamela Geller
August 31, 2010
It was bound to happen, which is not to say that there is any excuse for it. A juror on a day off from a trial she was responsible for assessing told the world via Facebook that she had already decided the defendant was guilty, writing that it was “gonna be fun to tell the defendant they’re guilty.” This statement, in addition to showing a disturbing lack of compassion and empathy, not to mention meanness, also was a violation of her duties as a juror. The trial wasn’t even finished, the jury hadn’t deliberated, and yet Hadley Jons, 20, had already decided on her vote, and was bragging about it. Keep reading →
Filed under Citizenship, Law & Law Enforcement, The Internet, U.S. Society
Tags: ethics, justice, fairness, empathy, cell phones, Blackberries, courts, Facebook, jurors, contempt of court, duty of citizenship, stupidity, prejudicial to the administration of justice, juries, Detroit, iPods, Hadley Jons, Michigan, trials
August 31, 2010
In a recent post, Ethics Alarms discussed that demands of a group of former Major League baseball who receive inferior retirement benefits, because the changes made to the game’s pension and health insurance qualifications in 1980 were not made retroactive. The group has argued that it was unfair for the baseball clubs and players union to have voluntarily extended benefits to pre-1947 players—players who played before there were any retirement benefits at all—and not them. The post argued…
“…The inclusion of the older players, from before 1947, was not the same: the group included many of the game’s greatest players, who could legitimately say that they were essential in building the industry that had made the current players so wealthy. Leaving all the older players without any pensions or medical plans from Major League Baseball looked like ingratitude toward the men who, quite literally, helped make the teams and players rich. The sport owed them, and it was right for them to help the veteran group…[The 1948-1979 group], by definition, were not stars; for the most part, they were…journeyman spare-part players who barely held on to their jobs…The fact that players with one day of service in the big leagues today qualify for a health insurance no more entitles the Moonlight Grahams of the Seventies to the same than the million dollar salaries of today’s second-string catchers entitles retired catchers who made $30,000 a year to insist on retroactive pay at today’s pay scales. Baseball players are paid what their rarified talents are worth, and those who create today’s multi-billion dollar industry are worth much more than the players who toiled before the big cable contracts and merchandising kicked in…The fair thing is for people to live with the deals they freely agreed to as conditions of their employment, and when a future employee negotiates a better deal for the work you once did, the fair thing is to say to him, “Good for you!” It would be generous and kind for the Major League teams and players to close some of the disparity in benefits; I hope they do it. Nevertheless, they have no obligation to do it, and it is not a breach of fairness if they don’t.” [You can read the entire essay here.]
The post attracted a strong comment from Craig Skok, one of the players in the 1948-1979 group. He is an excellent representative of the plight of this group, because he just barely missed the cut-off for full benefits. He wrote… Keep reading →
Filed under Arts & Entertainment, Business & Commercial, Health and Medicine, Professions, Sports, U.S. Society
Tags: ethics, fairness, integrity, baseball, civilization, generosity, charity, Major League Baseball, sacrifice, obligation, quid pro quo, gratitude, public relations, strikes, pensions, Baseball Players Union, salaries, eligibility cut-offs, culure, Craig Skok
August 30, 2010
Beau Friedlander is a contributor to the Huffington Post who decided it was time to show just how vicious, uncivil and unhinged a committed progressive could be, there being ample evidence of these qualities on the other side of the political spectrum. So…
1. Friedlander wrote an angry and hate-filled rant slandering Tea Party members, Mormons, and Republicans and the American public generally;
2. He included, as the piece’s centerpiece, this:
“I hereby offer to negotiate a $100,000 payday to the person who will come forward with a sex tape or phone records or anything else that succeeds in removing Glenn Beck from the public eye forever. I am not offering the cash myself, but I will broker the deal and/or raise the money for what you bring to the table. (And it better be good.) If you have the goods, or if you want to contribute to a slush fund to buy more takedowns (probably not tax deductible), please contact me at: glennbecksextape@gmail.com.” Keep reading →
Filed under Etiquette and manners, Government & Politics, Journalism & Media, Professions, Religion and Philosophy, The Internet, U.S. Society
Tags: fairness, respect, responsibility, civility, trust, confidentiality, Glenn Beck, cruelty, "Tea Party" movement, "tea-baggers", slander, professionalism, meanness, recklessness, The Huffington Post, Mormons
August 30, 2010
An inquirer to the Christian Science Monitor’s financial blog “The Simple Dollar” poses this real life scenario:
“I’m 22 and have very robust finances…My dad recently suggested to me that instead of paying his credit card company interest (~20%, he thinks) on his balance (~$4000), I could lend them the money to pay it off in exchange for something like 10%….This is money I can afford to lose, and would otherwise be sitting in a money market or bond index fund. So my question: is it unethical to charge my parents interest, at least more than I’d earn otherwise? While 10% is much lower than their current payment, it’s much higher than I’d earn otherwise. If I’m willing to lend them the money at a lower rate, am I ethically obliged to?” Keep reading →
Filed under Business & Commercial, Daily Life, Education, Family, Finance
Tags: fairness, gratitude, parents, Trent Hamm, Christian Science Monitor, loans, childrem ethics, oblligation
August 30, 2010
The ad campaign for Direct TV’s NFL Sunday Ticket raises the question: if it is despicable, unethical and wrong to do something hateful to another individual because of his race,religion or national origin, can it be cute, funny or socially acceptable to take the same action against someone because of his pro football loyalties?
The Direct TV campaign, depicts the fans of various NFL teams expressing their anger and dismay over the fact that the satellite television service allows neighbors who have recently moved to their area can continue to root for their home town football teams by subscribing to NFL Sunday Ticket. In each commercial, a fan expresses his or her hatred for the newcomer by inflicting some form of surreptitious insult, indignity, or attack: Keep reading →
Filed under Arts & Entertainment, Business & Commercial, Daily Life, Etiquette and manners, Government & Politics, Law & Law Enforcement, Popular Culture, Race, Religion and Philosophy, Sports, U.S. Society
Tags: football, bigotry, racism, responsibility, civility, rudeness, TV commercials, Nancy Pelosi, Glenn Beck, abortion, threats, Keith Olbermann, insults, jerks, hate, anger, assault, illegal immigration, trespass, battery, Ground Zero Mosque, Mark Levin, Direct TV, NFL Sunday Ticket, passion, Sharon Angle, Alan Grayson, hate crimes, rivalry, gun control
August 30, 2010
Which is the more unethical conduct for a U.S. Congresswoman: handing out non-profit money to relatives and friends, or lying about it so flagrantly that it insults the intelligence of everyone within earshot? It’s a tough call. Luckily, we really don’t have to decide in the case of Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-Texas), because she’s done both. Keep reading →
Filed under Family, Government & Politics, Leadership, Professions, Public Service, Philanthropy, Charity, Race
Tags: William Jefferson, responsibility, Congressional Black Caucus, corruption, fiduciary duties, dishonesty, Rep. Charles Rangel, Texas, foundations, Rep. Maxine Waters, favoritism, venality, Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson, nepotis, scholarships, The Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, non profit ethics, oversight, Daniel Borochoff, American Institute of Philanthropy
August 29, 2010
The British show that launched “American Idol,” X-Factor, admitted that it had used Auto-Tune, an audio processor that corrects a singer’s pitch and tone. An 18-year-old contestant named Gamu Nhengu sang just a little too well in the show’s seventh season premiere, and fans and critics started hinting at conspiracy on the web, especially via the show’s Facebook page. Finally, a spokesman for “X-Factor” confessed that Auto-Tune was used to fix disruptions caused by the many microphones used on stage during the telecast, but that the judge’s decisions were definitely based on the actual, non-Auto-Tuned performances of contestants. The show’s producers, he assured the public, only used the processor to “deliver the most entertaining experience possible for viewers.”
I’m sure that is true. This is exactly the reason TV executives rigged the quiz shows in the 1950′s. It is the reason why TV reality shows are scripted, and why NBA stars get away with game fouls that referees call against lesser players. Any competition’s entertainment value is enhanced by better competitors and more suspenseful action. The problem is that once spectators know or suspect that they are being manipulated, they stop watching at all. The fact that Simon Cowell’s UK hit would use the device immediately roused “American Idol” conspiracy theorists, and Cowell to immediately announced an Auto-Tune ban. Keep reading →
Filed under Around the World, Arts & Entertainment, Bioethics, Business & Commercial, Popular Culture, Professions, Science & Technology, Sports, U.S. Society
Tags: ethics, fairness, integrity, steroids, reality shows, American Idol, performance-enhancing drugs, "Glee", cultural standards, Auto-Tune, singing, acting, talent, X-Factor, Simon Cowell, value, artistic standards, beauty, karaoke
