Racist School Director.

It was hard for me after reading this article, and seeing the video clip, to not laugh in unbelief that this kind of thing still happens.  A school director in Georgia made some very racists comments after she started losing control of the crowd at a High School graduation ceremony.

See the USA Today article and clip:  USATODAY

As well as another view from the same event: YOUTUBE

What is further interesting about this piece is not only did she seem to have extremely poor social and leadership skills, he apology was equally bizarre.  First she said "I didn't know 'black people' was a racist remark." (Dallof & Fieldstadt, 2015).  She then later went on essentially say the devil made her do it.

The specific ethical issue I would like to investigate here (there are many!) is the response of the school to her actions.  While this was not (yet) a criminal case, the school responded with one of Five Common approaches to punishment: Incapacitation (Rosenstand, 2013).  They swiftly fired her, preventing her from speaking with "authority" in that situation again.  I believe they responded in the correct manner.  While some might cite freedom of speech as justifiable grounds for her action, it is right on the part of the school (prior to legal action) to take the issue and pass judgment on her actions.  I believe that a private enterprise has complete justification to fire and hire it's employees as it sees fit.


References:

Rosenstand, N. (2013). Different Gender, Different Ethics? In The Moral of the Story: An Introduction to Ethics(7th ed.). New York, New York: McGraw-Hill.

Dallof, S., & Fieldstadt, L. (2015). TNT Academy Director Who Singled Out Black People Says She's Not A Racist.  NBC News.  Retrieved from: http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/tnt-academy-director-who-said-all-black-people-says-shes-n357141

The Ethics of Surveillance

http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2015/05/07/404898259/federal-court-bulk-collection-of-phone-metadata-is-illegal

This past Thursday, a federal appeals court ruled that the National Security Agency's (NSA) level of surveillance was excessive and illegal.

I think this issue,  puts in view an interesting perspective on utilitarianism.  While I generally do not consider myself in agreement with utilitarianism, in this case occasionally do.  Generally, I do not care if the government spies on me, or "invades" my privacy.  I take the view that my understanding of privacy and rights is largely colored by this present society and culture we live in, not by any inherent rights of a human being.  Some cultures have far more, and far less privacy, and that's ok.

However, I do not necessarily take the view that the high state of surveillance is a good thing either.  It could be said that by making a few people very UNHAPPY by surveillance, you are protecting the greater good.  I just don't see it.  My position is less that I am ok with surveillance because I think it is helping the greater number of people, but more because I just don't mind it.  I understand the implications of it going bad, but I am not interested in investing my time or energy to avoid it.

If I move deeper in, beyond my (apparent) lazy response, I find any ruling that protects the declared rights of U.S. citizens to be a good move.  Again, I do not think these rights are critically important to a human being, but when we have a law (the Constitution) I believe we should uphold it, or change it outright, not simply roll over it and ignore it.

Black Lives Don't Matter

This piece is in response to the recent riots in Baltimore MD after the death of another man at the hands of the police.  http://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/29/us/baltimore-riots.html?_r=0

I am a male.  I am white.  I am tired. 

Black lives don’t matter.  Lives matter.

I realize that my skin color and gender leave me rather unqualified to answer in true empathy.  I will never be able to place myself in the shoes of black-American.

Bias and prejudice may need to be violently fought; it seems at certain times in history this true.  But I feel that now is not the time for that,  at least not in this Country of “opportunity”.  There are perhaps not enough opportunities for every citizen, but we not at risk of running out of opportunities yet.  Too many people simply opt out.  In this country bias and prejudice should be fought not with violence, but with action.  Show that you are a capable black leader.  Show that you are a respectful (not subservient) black citizen.   Show that you’re a loving black father.  If you are those things, then remove the prefix “black”.  You are a capable leader, you are a respectful citizen, you are a loving father.  We don’t say “he is such a good White leader” (though some might think it.)  The wars that are being fought are largely self-inflicted now.  The work of the previous generations being largely undone. 

“…Tha Police.” (N.W.A. 1988)

There are wicked people in this world.  Your job (Police, Military, Doctors, Teachers, Lawyers etc.) doesn’t make you good or bad; you are a person (Black, white, all that) who is responsible to act well.  It doesn’t surprise or shock me that there are persons in the Police force who make bad decisions; wicked decisions even.  They should be punished. 

Most of the national cases of Police brutality against black citizens (at last as reported in the media) seem to indicate fault on the side of the Police Officer.  But it is worth pointing out that the Black men (and woman?) who are unjustifiably being beaten and killed, are not fully innocent, or at least not intelligent.  This is not to say they DESERVE to be beaten and killed, but the fault is not fully on the side of the Police.  Many have made aggressive actions towards the officers, many have fled, or resisted.  This is either an indication of unlawful action, or stupidity.  An intelligent person would not unnecessarily put himself or herself at risk by running from a Police Officer, especially with the current trend of police using unnecessary force. 

The Nation seems at risk, with city after city falling to these headline killings and lootings.  Body cameras on the Police Officer’s are a short game fix that would probably help.  But the problem runs deeper, and farther back.  Precautions at the Officer/Victim level are insufficient. 

The problems are probably too big to be solved with blustering, or policy.  We need personal reform.  We need citizens working together.  We need Black and White people working hard until the terms are no longer important.  There needs to be personal, as well as organizational accountability.  Stop being racist.  Easy right?

I honestly don’t know what the solution is.  But I am tired of hearing the same story; the same story from both sides.  Seek Justice, but more importantly, seek progress.  This is largely an American problem.  Let’s look at the success stories of other integrated countries, lets talk to each other honestly.  Let’s swallow our own preconceptions and live next to each other.  I am a white man who lives in a predominantly black neighborhood and I am glad for it.  I begin to see that these people (color irrelevant) are my neighbors.  Some are good, some are kind.  Some are disrespectful and rude, some are threatening.  We are all people, silly people. 

Black lives don’t matter.  Lives matter. 

Human Genetic Engineering is Here

Genetic engineering has long been a staple of Science Fiction paranoia.  If not the major theme of a story, it often shows up in ancillary roles, normally to a negative effect.  The stories in books and films often have served as a warning sign for how genetic engineering could go wrong.

A recent article in Nature announced that Chinese scientist produced a paper wherein they explained the “successful” genetic engineering of “non-viable” human embryos which recently took place.  The scientists used a genetic modification technique known as CRISPR/Cas9 to modify a gene in the genome responsible for a fatal blood disorder.  

So what is the ethical problem with genetic engineering?  The Science Fiction dystopian futures aside, some would argue that, while the intentions are initially good (eradicate genetic diseases), the capability could be used in the future to artificially control for desirable characteristics and features and we are not yet sure, as a society, if we are ok with that.  What is our role in controlling important aspects of a human being?  It is not difficult to imagine a future where good intentions are perverted for abuse.  For example, individuals bred for their athletic ability (sports and war), or individuals bred to be complacent and low-thinking (slavery).   

It is a difficult dance that scientist often are required to perform.  On the one hand, their objective is to discover and push boundaries. On the other hand, are they responsible for the evil that is done as a result of their work?  Another difficult question: are WE responsible for benefiting from the vile practices of old.  Medical science has advanced throughout history through many horrific events such as murders to provide bodies for dissections, Nazi experiments etc.

We will certainly see more of these stories as time goes on.  

http://www.nature.com/news/chinese-scientists-genetically-modify-human-embryos-1.17378

North Charleston Shooting

Recently here in North Charleston S.C. we had a police shooting incident that made national news.  The officer made a traffic stop for a tail-light being out.  The man stopped ran on foot and was shot several times in the back.  The officer made a statement that he felt his life in danger.  He has since been charged with murder.  This is on the heels of several other national cases where a police shooting has caused tension between the Police and the public.  One of the interesting aspects of this case is that the report the officer gave, seems to disagree with video footing that was turned in by a nearby bystander who shot the incident on his cell phone.  This evidence led to a swift charge of murder for the officer.  The mayor of North Charleston has ordered that all police officers will now wear body cameras.

I do not envy the stress and tension being a police officer in certain areas entails.  I can not fairly imagine how I would respond in any given circumstance.  However, it is hard to conclude that in any way the officer SHOULD have felt his life in danger.  On all accounts the murdered individual was fleeing, not acting aggressively.  Beyond the poor choice to use inappropriate force, the officer also filed a false report in order to cover for his mistake.  He inflated the story to present a sympathetic situation.  Without the video evidence, it is likely the officer would have been trusted and justice not served. 

ISIS

The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, or ISIS, has been in the news a lot lately.  Primarily known for their brutal executions and fast spreading territory grabs.  While I find their actions horrific, I am very disappointed by the reactions I have seen to their movement.

As a member of the military, I have been exposed to a very brutish response of "kill them all! Death is the only thing they will understand!"  What is so shocking to me is how quickly people respond like this.  The other disturbing part is that many of those most vehemently opposed claim to be Christian.  The argument is that these evil ISIS members need to be destroyed because they are so "evil".

I myself am a Christian, and as one who actually reads the Bible, I find it hard to draw the conclusion that "because they beheaded people, they are evil."  This will not be an easy point to defend.  While I am culturally disgusted to see beheadings of real human beings, I realize that a large amount of this disgust is a result of my complete detachment from both physical violence, and death on a regular basis. Our society is fairly sanitized in this area.  Compound this with the fact the the G-d I believe in, as described in the Bible, commanded his people to do equally violent and horrific things (executing woman and children).  And so, I find it difficult, or at least unhelpful to react to the barbarism of ISIS by posturing from a position of American Righteousness.

To be clear, I do not wish to defend ISIS or their actions by any means.  I personally find it unthinkable.  But I am conversely not comfortable with verbally or even physically responding in kind.

Here is a video clip that I suspect many would find "inspiring".  I am conflicted.  I find it inspiring (going to war to help others) but also grotesque ("going on an adventure").  In this piece, Patrick Maxwell, an ex-Army civilian says some pretty horrific things.  I feel it compounds the problem when individuals on both sides find an excuse in this circumstance to act out their violent fantasies in an unrestricted environment.