Am I Ethical?

After twenty-one years I have come up with one question that will help to define me as a person and overall human being. A question that not only asks about the person I have become but the person I will continue to grow and continue to become. 


Am I Ethical?

Well, lets first start off by taking a look at my values:
1. Honesty
2. Loyalty
3. Faith
4. Kindness
5. Compassion
6. Integrity 


I think that so far in my life I have lived up to my values in the strongest way possible. I have brought these values into my overall wellbeing and encompassed my life around these values. I could tell you certain situation where I have told the truth, or been fair, or stayed true to my friends, or fallen in love but that wouldn't be quite enough. All the examples will do is prove that I've done my work and I've been myself. Values are about taking someone's word that they are telling the truth and that they abide by these values day-in and day-out. So I ask you to you take my word and understand that I have tried my very best to follow these values and to be the most ethical person that I can be. This isn't to say that I am perfect and I don't make mistakes because I can assure (as can my best friends) that this is not the case. I am simply saying that I am trying. I am trying and have been trying to be the most ethical, honest, loyal, integrity, faithful, kind, and compassionate person that I know how to be. I think I've done pretty well so far. 


Thank you for all who have been listening. I appreciate you!




Have a wonderful day! It's time to graduate college! Go me!




I will leave you with a quote:


“Integrity is doing the right thing, even if nobody is watching.”

Food Crisis in The World

In relation to my adverting vs. ethical violations blog I wanted to relate this blog about a food crisis in the world. I think these two topics relate because advertisements continue show skinny males and females, naked and beautiful. Our society is accustomed to thinking that this is the way we must look. This is a huge issue. We are human beings, we are all different.


I think the most significant food crisis facing the world today is the actual effect that food is having on our mental health. Basically, there is this obsession with being thin and it is having an impact on society’s wellbeing. I guess that would be described as our “lack” of food consumption crisis then..? This issue affects both men and women around the world. Someone somewhere started this crisis that everyone must eat “low cal”, “fat free”, “whole wheat”, and whatever else you can find, foods. I think same crisis is much more prevalent in the US due to the extreme obesity and body image issues. I do think that these issues can be solved as soon as everyone realizes that you don’t need to be a size zero or look like the Hulk in order to fit in or be accepted by society. We are all meant to be different shapes, sizes, colors and we should be able to eat what we want (within reason) and once people realize that then yes, I think we can solve this crisis.

 

Below is a youtube video created by Dove, Real Beauty Campaign  which i think is a great depiction of the influence advertisements can have on us. 

Sandals Resort case study

When writing something online, it is automatically open for the public to read. There are no barriers and whatever you wrote is “fair game” for anyone else to stumble upon. Today, there are various viewpoints and opinions written about just about any topic you can think of. However, if one is to write something online anonymously, can they be held accountable?

I think this is clearly demonstrated in the court case concerning Sandals resort chain and an anonymous writer in May 2011. The issue at hand is that pseudo name, John Anthony sent messages to the Sandals resort chain referring that the hiring methods were inappropriate and unlawful from the email address jft3092@gmail.com. This individual went into detail abut the hiring methods. The NY Supreme Court Justice however said that Sandals was not entitled to the information that Anthony wrote and that is was not defamatory because it was an opinion. The case goes on and as it turns out, the court disagreed with resort chain for various reasons.

Is it ethical??

I think that people have the right to type with what they want within reason. Obviously, if it is defamatory then there is no question, it should not be written. It is unethical to talk poorly or inappropriately about a certain person or company in my opinion. Int his situation I think that the anonymous emailer should be penalized for talking badly about the company by a slap on the wrist- more of a warning. Otherwise, I think it is fair game, it really is just an opinion statement. To another individual their hiring methods maybe be appropatire. It is simply about who you ask.

Plagiarism: What is it?

“The bees pillage the flowers here and there but they make honey of them which is all their own; it is no longer thyme or marjolaine: so the pieces borrowed from others he will transform and mix up into a work all his own.”

           - Michael Eyquen de Montaigne*

At one point in time, someone came to plant these flowers only hoping their yard would look more beautiful. The bees came to the flowers and made honey with what they found. The bees used other’s resources however made something completely their own with what they found. I vote that this is completely fair when referencing plagiarism. 

Plagiarism is taking someone else’s ideas, writing, art or anything else that can be determined as personally unique. Personally, meaning that only one person is able to name it as their own and unique, meaning that there is nothing identical to it. Plagiarism is a difficult topic to reason with because today the rules or guidelines of what is, are blurred beyond imagination. It is an issue that individuals of all ages are dealing with on a daily basis. Whether they’re in their freshman year of college or their tenth year at the law firm, the rules apply to everyone. It is a subject that causes a great deal of problems yet is necessary in order to preserve people’s creativity. It would be poor behavior if anyone were able to use a piece of work, no matter the content, and receive credit. It is just immoral and unethical hence the reason plagiarism came to be.

The more plagiarism is referenced, the stronger the argument becomes for heavier punishment. At this point in time there are a variety of different punishments depending on where the act takes place. Not to mention, the idea of how to prevent plagiarism from occurring becomes a larger discussion at school board meetings and executive board meetings around the country. It would be easy to say, “We should trust everyone not to plagiarize.” However, that may be the easiest solution but not a realistic one at that. A reasonable option would be to enforce the academic, legal and institutional punishments as mentioned on the Plagarism.org website. Plagiarism is often handled in a gentler manner than suggested by the written laws. It is understandable seeing as each case is different therefore no matter how the issue is dealt with today or tomorrow, in a few years the issue will have taken on a whole new set of rules.

Overall, plagiarism is something that will continue to cause problems within academic and occupational careers for many years to come. As far as today’s generation is concerned, we must follow the wise words of Michael Eyquen de Montaigne; find our own “flowers” and simply create our own “honey.” It is a matter of creating and crediting what is yours while the rest remains mystery. It is a matter of what is ethically correct.

Apple vs. Ethics

All I have heard lately about Apple has generally been negative things. Aside from the new Ipads and Iphones being invented its been bad news bears. When referencing the ethical values of Apple I think a lot of them have been neglected on recent standings.In Apple factories there have been issues concerning health and meeting safety guidelines. In a number of different photos (some shown below) there have been multiple protests by factory workers. Even in one of the photos if you look closely enough you will notice that in the foreground there are workers simply working on iPads or something of that nature but when you look at the background of the photo you will see individuals wearing full face masks. 

This brings about the questions:

What are the workers doing in the background that makes them need a mask but the people a foot away don't need masks?

Is this safe?

Is this ethical?

I cant answer the first question but I can only image that this is NOT safe. In no way could a chemical or whatever substance is so unsafe that masks must be worn, be able to be inhaled by others. I think that this situation clearly contradicts Apple's ethical framework. THey are supposed be a company of truth and honor. BUt instead they display themselves in a manner of disgust where their "ever-so-amazing" products are being created. To answer the third question, is Apple ethical. My answers seems to be NO. 

Let's Meet and Eat Meat

In today's society we are wrapped up in the idea of being healthy and doing what is best for our bodies. Everyone's definition of "healthy" is different for every person you ask. My idea of being healthy is having the correct balance of nutrition and exercise in your daily lifestyle. This of course includes the obvious consumption of dairy, carbs, fats (good and bad- splurging a little never killed anyone!), sodium, sugar and of course, protein. Protein I think is the most important component in one's diet. This answers the pertinent question of being a meat-eater. I choose to eat meat because I have grown up eating chicken, steak, pork chops, filet, you name it, I've most likely eaten it. 


Vegetarian Times study shows 7.3 million Americans are vegetarians and an additional 22.8 million follow a vegetarian-inclined diet. Therefore, on the other and, a large number of Americans choose not to eat meat. It may be for reasons of the taste or it may be the reason of animal cruelty or it could be various other reasons. I, personally, eat meat due to the fact that not only is it delicious but it provides me with a balanced and nutritious diet. I don't like the taste of many fish so my sole leader of protein in my diet comes from meat. I may be unknowledgeable about the animal and production process of the meat and for now, I am fine with being unaware. I like eating meat, and that is the way it is going to stay!


If you are vegetarian or a red-meat vegetarian, click here to learn more about that type of lifestyle!


A fun video about why you should eat meat and where it comes from:

Take a Step Back

I want to another look at TCU's situation over the past semester and how when referencing the balance of means, everything plays out. 

In order to create balance in our lives we must follow a few basic rules, which lead us to life full of success. These rules are composed of balance of means, utilitarianism, veil of ignorance, universalized actions and cosmopolitianism. There are various situations in an individual’s life where these ethical guidelines may play out. With the guidelines, one may learn something new about themselves or learn a new way of life, which they had never experienced before. These ethical guidelines create a basis for making moral decisions.

A particular situation where Aristotle’s Balance of Mean concept presents itself in various situations throughout the world on daily basis. Aristotle’s theory on virtue ethics is one that does not see a person’s actions as a reflection of their ethics, but rather looks into the character of a person as the reason behind their ethics. His concept stats that there is a desirable middle ground between two extremes, one of excess and other of deficiency. Furthermore, Greeks believed there to be three “ingredients” to beauty: symmetry, proportion and harmony. These three “ingredients” are extremely relevant and play a large part in finding that middle ground of balance.

An example of Aristotle’s Balance of Mean theory has become extremely applicable for the students and community at TCU within the past few weeks. On February 15, 2012 at 5:30am there was a drug bust conducted by the TCU and Fort Worth Police officials in order to confiscate any drug dealers on or around the TCU campus. Seventeen students were arrested on drug related charges, all of whose names were published in local newspapers, including arrest warrants.  Later in the morning Chancellor Boschini and TCU representatives made public announcement about the situation. Chancellor Boschini addressed the situation with honor and grace as he discussed that TCU would not accept this sort of behavior and the zero tolerance policy would remain in effect. The drug bust reached national news and was featured in newspapers and television stories throughout the week. Even more so, the media continued to hassle and heckle TCU for its student’s misconduct. Various media stations were at the scene of the arrests on the early Wednesday morning, which caused a large disturbance among community members. Overall, when relating this case to of Aristotle’s Balance of Mean theory it displays the extreme of excess. The situation was blown to extreme proportions and heavily weighted on the TCU community. The desired middle ground would have been to handle each case individually but still keep students and community informed with a generalized statement. This would have created a balance in the situation allowing for the charged individuals to handle the media and public opinions at their own discretion.