1. Ethics Dunce: The New York Daily News, which joined my Rogues Gallery of websites that use unethical tactics to force readers to tolerate ads or pay to subscribe. This was a new one, though: I disabled my ad-blocker, and was returned to the Daily News home page. But now the link I had opened was no longer available. I searched for it: the piece, an editorial, was gone, at least for me. Assholes. If they think I’m going back to that site again or ever link to it here, they can bite me.
2. Damn ethics alarm: I was in a tight time frame this afternoon and had to deposit a check and mail a letter (returning a jury questionnaire saying I was willing to do my civic duty even though getting stuck in a trial is the last thing I need) then get back to the office and handle a problem. I mailed the letter and was rushing to my car when I saw a young black man painfully crossing the parking lot using a walker, with both hands holding plastic grocery bags. So I had to ask him if I could help—I had been stuck using a walker not that long ago—and he demurred…but also wanted to talk. He was so grateful that I, anyone, had cared enough to ask. He wanted to share the horrible sequence of events that had but him in his current state of limited mobility, his bad medical advice, his work interruption, the burden on his family. So I listened. I wasn’t going to walk away saying, “I’m sorry, but I have things to do.” This was a pure Golden Rule situation, Ethics 101, non-ethical considerations vs. the ethical values of kindness, compassion, empathy and respect. Once upon a time, before Ethics Alarms, before I began teaching ethics, I would have ignored that ethics alarm, if it rang at all. The man’s name was Kevin, incidentally.
3. Harris leftover word salad: Remember, this is the woman that most Democrats still don’t regret voting for to be President. Heeeere’s Kamala, promoting her new book “107 Days” at a “Day of Unreasonable Conversation” at the Getty Center in Los Angeles this week:
I want to bring it back to the audience, which is this. One of the other reasons I wrote it is that history is going to write about this. And it was important to me that that be told with my voice being present. And I would say that with everyone, we are living history right now. And you all, as storytellers, are living this. You’re not passive observers, you know that. You’re living it. And I would ask you that all the emotions that we are feeling, give those emotions, give that experience to those people that you are writing about and writing for. It gets back to my point about helping people just put a label on it, even if it doesn’t change the circumstance. Because there’s so much about this moment that is trying to make people feel like they’ve lost their minds. When in fact, these motherfuckers are crazy.
Right. And Trump’s lawsuit against “60 Minutes” was completely groundless; why would CBS feel it had to make Harris’s answers more coherent? [Pointer: Old Bill]
Ethics Alarms 
Speaking of Harris, a blogger that a fellow Ethics Alarms reader introduced me to did a review on Harris’ book, and also Jake Tapper’s about Biden’s decline. She describes both of them as believable precisely because of how un-self-aware they are. Harris doesn’t realize just how much of an empty suit she is, and Tapper doesn’t realize his depth of denial about Biden’s condition. I think both reviews show just how deep the rot goes for the Democrats.
“When in fact, these motherfuckers are crazy.” (bold mine)
She actually said that out loud? And here I thought that level of obtuse cluelessness was unachievable.
PWS
Breathtaking. When has Trump ever been potty mouthed?
I’m sure many a time; one can only imagine him riffing in private.
But even a generally unfiltered Id-Driven person like him isn’t stupid enough to let it rip out in the open.
OTOH, Harris…?
PWS
Potty-mouthed? Many times. Several are discussed on EA. “Shit-hole countries”? Iran and Israel “don’t know what the FUCK they are doing”?
See post: “A Nation of Assholes.”
I’m pretty sure Old Bill was being sarcastic.
And there is this: https://ethicsalarms.com/2022/08/12/npr-says-there-are-pros-and-cons-of-a-candidate-for-governor-calling-someone-motherfucker-during-a-speech/
I have to say, there is something remarkable about a woman just dropping that in an otherwise polite conversation. Just came out of left field.
And Dems always hold themselves out to be the adult, civilized ones, never rude, always considerate. At least until Trump arrived on the scene?
That 2022 post is a beauty.
Ah, but the blog is an echo chamber, so nobody reads these things….
Anybody playing attention has noticed you’ve been consistently and unrelentingly attentive to Trump’s crassness and unforced errors and flat learning curve (not that I’ve listed all the problems) and have refused to compromise or be compromised on that front.
Isn’t this one of the seven words you are not allowed to say on television? Could it be that this is why CBS had to edit the “60 Minutes” interview? Just to stay out of trouble with the FCC?
2. I’ve been there. In fact, Mr. Golden and I have found ourselves in numerous situations in which others – even those who knew we were constrained by time – chose to take much longer than we had. It is difficult to extricate oneself from that type of scenario without being rude while still accomplishing necessary tasks.
2. BLESSED ethics alarm – you have shown that there is some benefit to the antiquated method of depositing checks – chance encounters in which you have the opportunity to make a small contribution to making our world a better place. Kevin demurred on the physical help you offered, but obviously welcomed the social help (i.e. listening) you were willing to provide. I’d bet both of you felt better afterward.
2. “He was so grateful that I, anyone, had cared enough to ask.” I, too, am grateful. Thank you for choosing kindness! A good example for the rest of us. Sometimes, just being seen and acknowledged is a huge gift.
Personal story from my family that had a big influence on me in this regard: A few decades ago, my aunt was out shopping, tripped and fell on the sidewalk and smashed her kneecap. Surrounded by the shopping bags she had dropped, she was unable to get up. This was in a small town where she’d lived for decades, not a big city. At least a dozen people detoured to walked past her and ignored her request for help, until an off-duty first responder asked her what was going on.
Why the persistent indifference of all those passersby? Her best explanation, in retrospect, was that she had the misfortune of having an accident close to a liquor store.
If I see someone who might need my help, I ask them what’s up. I don’t want to be one of those people who ignored my aunt.