How unethical is Nelson Muntz here?
Oscar Wilde, mocking Charles’ Dicken’s “The Old Curiosity Shop,”quipped that “One must have a heart of stone to read the death of little Nell without laughing.” This was my immediate thought when I read about the drowning deaths of Aline Tamara Moreira de Amorim and Beatriz Tavares da Silva Faria, both Brazilian social media “influencers.”
Sailing in a small vessel in dangerous waters off the coast of San Paulo, the two women, guests at a yacht party, refused to put on life jackets as directed because, the captain said, “They were taking selfies.” Indeed it has been confirmed that at least one of the women shared photos of herself on social media while out at sea. At least one of the women also didn’t know how to swim. “They said that life jackets would get in the way of their tanning,” the captain added.
On the their way back to land from the yacht in a smaller vessel, a large wave washed over the boat. All of the seven passengers survived except the well-tanned influencers.
Your Ethics Alarms Ethics Quiz of the Day is…
At what point, if ever, does one’s reckless and stupid conduct forfeit the privilege of sympathy when it kills you?
I don’t know, but this has to be awfully close to the limit. I especially feel that way because the women are “influencers,” B or C grade celebrities to whom shallow and desperate people look to for online advice because they are rich, famous and attractive. They are all blights on society, exploiters and corrupters, and every influencer who leaves the field for any reason makes the world a better place by doing so.
Add to that the fact that these two women drowned because they were too vain to wear life jackets, and Nelson’s reaction seems almost appropriate.
Ethics Alarms 
Personally I feel nether the need to share sympathy nor ridicule. The family lost a loved one whom I did not even know about until I read this post. People die every day but the death of these two make the news because they are on social media? That suggests the we have a warped set of priorities. If their deaths prevent others from being stupid so much the better but I would not count on it. Let those they influenced grieve for their loss and hopefully learn from this event.
An excellent comment, Chris. I predict that at some point in the not-too-distant future, social media “influencers” will suffer the same fate as mainstream media: ignominy, as a result of biases and overexposure. It’ll take a while, but just as with MSM, the sooner we get there the better. And at least most younger folks know that influencers are in it for the money – whereas many still don’t understand that’s the MSM’s motivation, too.
The better part of me shares your noble concern for their families.
I will admit that the not-so-better part of me is somewhat curious to know what they didn’t want to cover up with life jackets. But having recently completed 70 trips around the sun, I’m less curious about that than I would have been ten or twenty years ago.
I read the title about dead influencers.
You opened with a reference by Oscar Wilde (dead) about a Dicken’s (dead) character who died.
Having gone through The Old Curiosity Shop in the last year, I was pleased that I got the reference.
In the next sentence, I learned that the topic of the quiz was not Dickens or Wilde, but “influencers” of much less import than them.
There is a fine line where physical injury passes from humor to horror. That line is usually death. All six of the Three Stooges (all dead) owed their careers to staying on the correct side of that line.
of course between The Three Stooges and death are endless videos of skate boarders trying to ride down a handrail.
These dead influencers are simply victims of their own vanity and stupidity. Sadly, they deserve pity, rather than ridicule.
-Jut
I don’t know. In this case, my sympathy would extend to the family. I’m sure they share some of the blame here, but I largely think, at least in this case, social media is to blame.
Also, there’s a reason the Darwin awards exist.
Sounds like Darwin Award material to me. The world is indisputably better off without those two well-tanned idiots. They couldn’t have been a positive influence, and if at any point they were, it was probably by accident.
Maybe their deaths will awaken others to the dangers of ignoring basic safety protocols in the interest of vanity.
Sympathy? Heh. I feel for their families, but those two earned their fates with a surfeit of stupidity.
The Captain should have been more assertive. I feel part of the blame falls on him; he’s the Captain and responsible for the vessel and the passengers. He should have said, no life jacket, no sailing or something to that effect.
Great point, Edward! So often in ethics quizzes, there’s a solution to the situation that’s just a little outside the range of options on offer.
Thanks. I have an ethics quiz for you. I gave out 130 candy bars last year for Halloween. This year I bought 150 and ran out in one hour. It seems these people are coming into affluent neighborhoods from all over. Someone told me they were parking in the school parking lot across the street and all walking over here.
I know some people live in remote areas and I can understand them going somewhere else but the people coming through my neighborhood have strollers, and there are also lines of cars rolling through and letting out their kids. Is it ethical for these people to visit neighborhoods around here from other sections of town?
Sorry, I’m a little perturbed about having 150 kids in the first hour and last year having 130 total from 5:30P to 8:00P – I locked the door this year at 6:35P.
I guess I wouldn’t mind if I bought 400 bars but I never know what the weather will be. If it’s nasty rainy night I only get about 40.
I guess this is more of a rant than a quiz. I’m just not happy having 150 kids in 1 hour. Not normal.
Was it Bill Clinton who said, “It’s the economy, stupid!”?
Biden/Harris claim that the economy is doing well. 150 Families proof otherwise.
Biden/Harris claim that it is more safe on the street. 150 Families proof otherwise.