[Once again, I apologize for the dumb error in Part I, where the Unethical Conduct Score and Jerk Score for #8, “Playing gory video games,“ were both supposed to be zero and I inexplicably had them both as “4.“]

To recap, I am examining the ethical logic—if any— being displayed in each of the 16 sections of the Times piece titled “The Virtues of Being Bad,” rating the combination of unethical conduct described and rationalizing it in a public form from 0 (not unethical at all) to 5 (very unethical) as well as assigning a “jerk score” to each of the authors, writers all, again ranging from zero (not a jerk) to 5 (Jerk-o-rama). Part I covered the first eight; now here is 9-16. Warning: it gets pretty weird from here on…

9. “ I, a responsible parent, feed my kids McDonald’s and other junk food. Not all the time. But I do. And they love it.” Oh, so what? This is the most “unethical” conduct this writer engages in? I don’t believe it. It’s more unethical to accept free publicity in a New York Times feature and do so little to earn it.

Unethical Conduct Score: 0. Jerk Score: 2.

10. “Gossiping” Gossip can ruin reputations and lives; the writer who enthusiastically endorses this unethical conduct reveals herself as an Ethics Dunce with this explanation:

Gossiping is a habit I inherited from my mother, who is the biggest gossip I know. It is a pleasure I now share with my husband. If you’re reading this and are among our loved ones, know that your personal life is a regular topic of discussion in our house: your marriage, your divorce, your childhood, your parenthood, your transgression that one time in college. It mostly comes from a place of sincere interest and care: Loving you makes me want to tell stories about you. But I admit that as far as love languages go, it’s an unconventional one, neglecting as it does the whole question of your feelings about it all. They say you should treat others as you want to be treated. I’ve been told what makes my love of gossip unusual is that I also love being gossiped about. I have a friend — let’s call her X — who once accidentally sent me a text message about how dumb she thought my novel was. (It was meant for a different friend.) Part of me was mortified and hurt. Another part thought: X was thinking of me! Later, of course, my husband and I dissected it all: X’s shortcomings and travails, the insecurities that might have compelled her to send such a message. Also, her transgression that one time in college.

“They say?” That’s the Golden Rule this jerk is tossing off as a rumor, and it is part of every religion and ancient philosophy. She also doesn’t understand how the ethical principle of reciprocity works: just because she may like being abused, for example, doesn’t make her abusing others okay. The Golden Rule means you should treat others as you would want to be treated by you if you were them. Gossiping is usually harmless, but not always, and it is a bad habit that can get out of control. Responsible and ethical people know this, and avoid it.

Unethical Conduct Score: 2. Jerk Score: 4.

11. “Listening to R. Kelly” I warned you that this gets weird. The writer was once a “gender editor,” so she feels guilty about listening to the works of the infamous woman-abusing hip-hop artist. This is the old “love the art, hate the artist” dilemma that can be applied to too many composers, novelists, singers, graphic artists, film directors, actors, comedians and others to list. My guess is that more great artists were or are repulsive human beings than those who were not or are not.

Unethical Conduct Score: 0. Jerk Score: 0.

12. “Graffitiing My House” At this point in the list, I began to suspect that the feature’s author was running out of material and was begging his writer pals (they al seem to be friends of his) to get creative. Supposedly this writer enjoys randomly splashing odd-colored paint on her own home. “It’s my house,” she explain. Hey, as long as the neighbors don’t mind and it doesn’t lower property values, go crazy. I know of many neighborhoods I wouldn’t try that in, but personally, I’d prefer a neighbor who vandalizes her own home to one who posts a “Love is Love” etc. or a “In this house we believe…” sign on the lawn.

Unethical Conduct Score: 1. Jerk Score: Oh, I don’t know…. Is being ostentatiously eccentric jerkish? I’ll give her a 2, but I don’t feel strongly about it.

13. “I eat whatever’s in front of me — usually ribs — and follow it with a martini. Modern medicine ensures I won’t die straight away. It’s a glorious time to be alive.” More evidence that the author, or his sources, or the Times itself thinks that the whole concept of trying to be ethical is a big joke. They all can bite me.

Unethical Conduct Score: 0. Jerk Score: 1, for not taking the theme seriously

14. “Hate reading” So this writer, a psychology professor, enjoys reading things he disagrees with. So what?

Unethical Conduct Score: 0. Jerk Score: 0.

15. “Facebook Stalking” Now we’re really stretching. People put their private lives on Facebook, and this guy thinks he is doing something shameful by keeping tabs on old acquaintances by checking their social media. This isn’t being “bad.” It’s not having a life, but it isn’t being bad.

Unethical Conduct Score: 0. Jerk Score: 0.

16. “Sleeping with my friends” “I sleep with my friends, and I befriend the people I sleep with,” she writes, as the feature’s author identifies her as “a friend.” Gee, you guys are so cool and metropolitan! This isn’t really confessing, is it? It’s boasting. Do what you want, arrested adolescents: you appear to have mistaken me for someone who gives a damn.

Unethical Conduct Score: 0. Jerk Score: 5.