Ethics Thread

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I can see what you're saying, but it pretty much chaps my @ss to think that he's keeping all the "good" stuff for himself and giving the leftovers to the people who really need it. I mean, I don't think it would be wrong to keep one or two things, given that he is donating his time, gas &c. But when I asked him about it he said, "Oh, they don't appreciate this stuff anyway, so I just keep it." It seems like it's not about the act of giving at all, but just wanting to get some free snacks.

I would call an ethical foul on that one. I'm sure if your FIL told the store he was keeping some and giving the rest to the shelter they would think twice about doing it. And what would happen if the store manager decided to nominate him for some kind of service award (for doing what he believed to be a totally noble thing)? If you're doing charitable work then I think it should be done selflessly.
 
Here's another one. Kind of funny. My wife has a serious issue when it comes to the meat she will eat. She is one of those people that will only eat meat that comes from a store and then only beef, pork and chicken. Her brother used to raise cows and goats. He and his wife used to find it funny to feed her something from the farm and not tell her until after she ate it. Well they thought it was funny once, because she refuses to eat meat at their house anymore! On a couple of occasions, she has eaten something with me that I knew was NOT from the store. Should I tell her? I have on a couple of occasions. Come to find out, she really likes elk sausage. But she would never knowingly eat it again! hahaha I find what my bil & sil did to be a little mean, not necessarily unethical. When I don't tell her, it is not out of meanness, it is so she doesn't make herself sick or get upset and ruin my night! Is that wrong?
 
Yeah I mean I can see keeping something every once in a while (call it a Good Samaritan tax or something), but it seems to me like giving the extras to poor folks is just what he has to do in order to get his free bread and yogurt, which just bugs me. But I admit that ethically it's a little bit of a gray area, which is why I thought it would be interesting to bring it up. I have to admit, I got a little guilty pleasure about dropping all that nice bread and pastries off at the shelter, then telling him they didn't have any good stuff for him to keep that week...ethical? I don't know. But it was fun.
 
Here's another one. Kind of funny. My wife has a serious issue when it comes to the meat she will eat. She is one of those people that will only eat meat that comes from a store and then only beef, pork and chicken. Her brother used to raise cows and goats. He and his wife used to find it funny to feed her something from the farm and not tell her until after she ate it. Well they thought it was funny once, because she refuses to eat meat at their house anymore! On a couple of occasions, she has eaten something with me that I knew was NOT from the store. Should I tell her? I have on a couple of occasions. Come to find out, she really likes elk sausage. But she would never knowingly eat it again! hahaha I find what my bil & sil did to be a little mean, not necessarily unethical. When I don't tell her, it is not out of meanness, it is so she doesn't make herself sick or get upset and ruin my night! Is that wrong?

I'd say not unethical--you're basically protecting her from her own irrationality. On the other hand, it might not be smart strategically...I mean, you do have to live with the woman after all. But that's a different matter. You should give her a book on industrial farming/feedlots, and tell her that the best meat she can probably get is the stuff from her brother's farm!
 
I'd say not unethical--you're basically protecting her from her own irrationality. On the other hand, it might not be smart strategically...I mean, you do have to live with the woman after all. But that's a different matter. You should give her a book on industrial farming/feedlots, and tell her that the best meat she can probably get is the stuff from her brother's farm!

It's not a "good or bad for you" thing. It is strictly the fact that she or someone she knows might have KNOWN the animal hahaha She's funny that way. Awesome woman but kinda quirky at times. Probably why I like her! :D
 
It's not a "good or bad for you" thing. It is strictly the fact that she or someone she knows might have KNOWN the animal hahaha She's funny that way. Awesome woman but kinda quirky at times. Probably why I like her! :D

Oh I hear you. My dad bought a couple dozen chickens explicitly to use as fryers...four years later they're still running around the backyard, because my mom says, "Once you give it a name, it's family and you can't eat it." And of course she named every single one of them as soon as they came through the door. He should have known better.
 
If that's the case then I would say he's being greedy about it. I thought he just taking a little so he had didn't have to by milk or pie when he needed it
 
Oh I hear you. My dad bought a couple dozen chickens explicitly to use as fryers...four years later they're still running around the backyard, because my mom says, "Once you give it a name, it's family and you can't eat it." And of course she named every single one of them as soon as they came through the door. He should have known better.
This. 100% this!
 
Changing prices, wrong!
Trying to correct either change given or charged to little, try twice and call it good.
Torrents, Actor/Actress, singer, tell us all we pay to little in taxes, complaining about the 1% (which they are), I am only doing what they said is right.

OK, along the lines of movies and music, Books, I own a copy is down loading a PDF of it wrong?

Beer related, bought a used Keggarator, came with TWO full size kegs. Keep them or try to return to Brewer?
 
Changing prices, wrong!
Trying to correct either change given or charged to little, try twice and call it good.
Torrents, Actor/Actress, singer, tell us all we pay to little in taxes, complaining about the 1% (which they are), I am only doing what they said is right.

OK, along the lines of movies and music, Books, I own a copy is down loading a PDF of it wrong?

Beer related, bought a used Keggarator, came with TWO full size kegs. Keep them or try to return to Brewer?

The keg question is pretty tough...I might make a phone call, but if no one called me back I wouldn't lose any sleep over it...
 
Ok here is one. Your at work and you go to the john. While on the john you pull out your smart phone and open your hbt app. Next thing you know you been finished with your business for quite awhile. Is it unethical to home brew talk it on the clock??
 
I'd say not unethical--you're basically protecting her from her own irrationality. On the other hand, it might not be smart strategically...I mean, you do have to live with the woman after all. But that's a different matter. You should give her a book on industrial farming/feedlots, and tell her that the best meat she can probably get is the stuff from her brother's farm!

Agree try to inform her on why store processed could be worse. Some people freak when they learn how some meats are aged.

Oh I hear you. My dad bought a couple dozen chickens explicitly to use as fryers...four years later they're still running around the backyard, because my mom says, "Once you give it a name, it's family and you can't eat it." And of course she named every single one of them as soon as they came through the door. He should have known better.

Just need to send mom on a trip one weekend ;). It was unethical for her to derail your dad plans :D.
 
blh3d said:
Ok here is one. Your at work and you go to the john. While on the john you pull out your smart phone and open your hbt app. Next thing you know you been finished with your business for quite awhile. Is it unethical to home brew talk it on the clock??

I suspect if it wasnt for hbt while on the crapper, there would be about half the total posts!
 
Ok here is one. Your at work and you go to the john. While on the john you pull out your smart phone and open your hbt app. Next thing you know you been finished with your business for quite awhile. Is it unethical to home brew talk it on the clock??

No.
 
OK I've got another one.

My father in law is generally a nice and upstanding guy, but he's one of these guys who LOVES getting things for free and will do almost anything to get a bargain.

So one of the things he does every week is that he goes to the local grocery store and picks up their leftover baked goods and expired dairy stuff for delivery to a local food bank/shelter, for distribution to needy families. Nice, pro-social behavior? Certainly!

However, I recently found out that, when he does this, he routinely sorts through the stuff that the bakery give him and keeps all the best stuff for his house--the good whole grain breads, the best-looking pies and pastries, the high quality yogurts, etc. The only stuff that he brings to the shelter is the leftovers--the plain white bread, smashed or broken pies and pastries, etc. And he's keeping the rest for himself. I have no idea if the grocery store or the shelter know that this is what's happening.

Now, a couple of things here--the food wouldn't get to the shelter if my FIL wasn't willing to go pick it up every week and deliver it, so poor people are being made better off. However, my FIL is solidly middle-class, and can easily afford to buy all this stuff on his own--he just does it because he loves getting things for free. And I strongly suspect that that's his whole motivation for picking up and delivering the food in the first place.

So is it ethical for him to do this, or not?

As a follow-up, the way I found this out was that one week he wasn't available to do this pickup, and asked me to do it in his stead. He specifically told me to keep out all the "good stuff", and give the rest to the shelter. I didn't, and gave everything to the shelter, then told him that they didn't have any of the stuff he liked that week. Was it ethical of me to lie to him, even if it meant giving more food to people who really needed it, instead of cherry pies to my middle class (not to mention diabetic!) father in law?

Depends.

If the goods are obtained from the grocery on a first come, first served basis without conditions then I don't see any ethical issue. However, if the stuff is obtained under false pretense then it's unethical.

As to the latter, yes, I think it was unethical to lie to him.
 
You walk by a river and you see your pet dog and a complete stranger drowning. You can only save one. What's your choice?

Based on the information supplied, you save the dog, because it is the action that enhances the gene pool.

Wow, I feel like the Ghost of CheezyDemon is hovering.

OK, let me know if I should apologize to Cheezy. :)
 
I have spent the better part of my life risking my life to save others.

I find it sad that people would value an animal's life over that of a person.

That is all...
 
I dunno, maybe if you had to explain to the family that daddy or brother didn't make it, your wiring would change?

"Sorry Ma'am we couldn't rescue your husband, but you will be glad to know that just as we got on scene some guy on the shore had just finished rescuing his dog. Too bad he didn't have time to rescue them both, but in a situation like that sometimes hard decisions need to be made"
 
Here is a dumb, mostly so this doesnt turn into a debate threD about the dog and person.

So you are in a restaurant that has the big bowl of (wrapped) mints or candy near the door. Is it wrong to just load yiur pockets full of candy when you leave?
 
Yeah if you take the whole bowl so no one else can have a mint I would say that would be unethical. To take a small handful so that your wife and the kids in the car can have a mint would be a-ok. Taking 2 or 3 mints because you really like mints wouldnt be unethical either.
 
WildGingerBrewing said:
Here is a dumb, mostly so this doesnt turn into a debate threD about the dog and person.

So you are in a restaurant that has the big bowl of (wrapped) mints or candy near the door. Is it wrong to just load yiur pockets full of candy when you leave?

I usually take about five sometimes more if I have to share with a lot of people. I don't think it unethical as long as you're not taking them all and you keep to no more than about three mints per person.
 
I have spent the better part of my life risking my life to save others. I find it sad that people would value an animal's life over that of a person. That is all...

CGVT, sorry if my post struck a nerve. It was not my desire to diminish the life saving work of first responders. I am very thankful for their service.

I also don't want to sound like I don't value a human life, but there are people I would not want to save as much and there have also been faithful companions that I would want to save more.
 
Here's one that happens every day.

You are without a pen and you need to sign something in a hurry. Is it ok to pick up the pen off your coworker's desk without asking so long as you put it back?
 
Here's one that happens every day.

You are without a pen and you need to sign something in a hurry. Is it ok to pick up the pen off your coworker's desk without asking so long as you put it back?

I see no problen if it is in plain sight ON the desk. If you have to open drawers or move paperwork then that is different.
 
CGVT, sorry if my post struck a nerve. It was not my desire to diminish the life saving work of first responders. I am very thankful for their service.

I also don't want to sound like I don't value a human life, but there are people I would not want to save as much and there have also been faithful companions that I would want to save more.

Your post didn't strike a nerve.

I am just surprised and as I said, saddened, by the fact that people actually value the life of an animal more that that of a person.

The question, by the way, was a stranger vs your dog. Not Michael Vick, not Bin laden, or some other person that you/we find reprehensible.

I am not a dog hater, I have owned and loved my dogs, but If I had the opportunity to save 100 dogs or one person? The dogs are dead.
 
What makes a dogs life less valuable. Just because he doesn't talk or have a job? A life is a life they are sentient creatures just like us just evolved differently. Not saying it is right or wrong but what is the difference.
 
Here is one same situation with the human and the dog but both are humans but one has down syndrome and the other one is normal which one do you save.
 
What makes a dogs life less valuable. Just because he doesn't talk or have a job? A life is a life they are sentient creatures just like us just evolved differently. Not saying it is right or wrong but what is the difference.

A dog is an animal. I do not value the life of a animal anywhere near that of a human being. As I said earlier, if I am starving to death, I will eat a dog. Hell, I'd eat your dog.

Here is one same situation with the human and the dog but both are humans but one has down syndrome and the other one is normal which one do you save.

Are you equating a human being with downs syndrome to a dog?

FWIW, I save whichever person I have the most probability of saving first.
 
I was not equating and person with down syndrome to a dog that's putting words in my mouth. Just another ethical question wondering which life is more important. I would rather eat a human if I was starving I might even eat your kids.
 
CreamyGoodness said:
Can we move on? I think points were made...

Yes let's I don't wanna see this get shut down. I have one that I do all the time. You go to a garage sale and see something you want but don't wanna pay what they're asking so you wait until night and take it out of the garbage. Is that unethical?
 
I was not equating and person with down syndrome to a dog that's putting words in my mouth. Just another ethical question wondering which life is more important. I would rather eat a human if I was starving I might even eat your kids.

Ha! I guess I won't be inviting you over for a beer then...:drunk:
 
Sorry if I came off combative I wasn't trying to I was just trying to bring up a different point of view. Its OK if I can't come over you can come to my house for some beer just stay away from my dogs. Lol insert sarcasm.
 
:)

To answer the question... IIIIIII don't know... I don't love the idea of waiting for someone to throw out garage sale merch before you scoop it up.

Lol.

I had never thought of that though. It is brilliant in an evil way!
 
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