Ethical dilemma #756599576

[Neonanocyborgasm]

That can change with the context of the situation, though. For eg, I remember back in high school, I knew a decent guy who got ripped on all the time for being affeminite (and yes, he came out a few years after graduating). He was a smart guy, but years of teasing and bullying made him into a paranoid crank. He would explode at you if you said 'hi' to him in a way that he interpreted as hostile, he would refuse to work with some people in class if he had already labelled them as 'dumb jocks', and was generally anti-social and bitter to one and all. Of course that only gave the people who made fun of him in the first place more fodder to use against him and more allies in thier campaign against him.

I could barely stand to be in the same room as the guy, but I still felt for the guy. If I had heard that some group of people were planning something really nasty for him, I wold have told him for sure.

I'm not as sympathetic. I'm sure there are events in life that make some people despicable, but I just don't care, because it's still your choice to be that way.

My boss is just such a man. He is universally reviled, and he knows it, but he doesn't care. Hundreds of excellent staff have resigned over the last 15 years because they can't stand working for the guy (including me... my last day is tomorrow), but he doesn't care. I'm sure something happened to him, years ago, that made him that way, but what good does it do for the people who suffer from his wrath? Nothing.

 

[Sidhe]

Create a circle of jerks and let them go round being jerks to each other and being jerkees untill they die all the while standing back and watching the loathing and hate destroy them inside and laughing evily form your castle of spite.

Either that or not get involved, I'd feel if I knew the person wel enough though I would get involved, but only if he wasn't a jerk about it.

 

[Che Guava]

I'm not as sympathetic. I'm sure there are events in life that make some people despicable, but I just don't care, because it's still your choice to be that way.

My boss is just such a man. He is universally reviled, and he knows it, but he doesn't care. Hundreds of excellent staff have resigned over the last 15 years because they can't stand working for the guy (including me... my last day is tomorrow), but he doesn't care. I'm sure something happened to him, years ago, that made him that way, but what good does it do for the people who suffer from his wrath? Nothing.

Of course life is what you make of it, and your boss is obviously taking out something on the world that happened to him sometime ago (or maybe he's just a jerk, I don't know ! ). Whatever the reason, it obviously happened somewhere else. In the case that I presented, the kid was still being tormented every day and felt that he needed to act a little more aggressively to be taken seriously and to ward off potential harm-doers. That doesn't excuse him from being a giant dick to everyone, but I can still feel sympathy for the guy.

 

[Bozo Erectus]

No, no no... That's the ethical problem #756599575. Get your numbers right, bozo!

Sorry about that, my secretarys on vacation.

 

[Souron]

1. IYO, would the actions of these people reveal them to be much bigger jerks than the person theyre fixated on?
Yes, because he did not do anything to them.

2. Would you feel compelled to inform the person of what these pople are doing, or would you stay out of it, because its none of your business?
Stay out. I live by a "live and let live" polocy.

3. If you decided to remain silent and just continue observing this activity, do you think that would make you a jerk as well?
No. You cannot expect a person to fight every inequity he wittnesses. Exault those who stand up for others, but don't shun those that don't.
Edit: This asumes that I'm observing becouse I can't avoid it, not out of intrest. Intrest can be a form of support.

4. Of all of these, who is the bigger jerk? The original jerk who is being treated badly, the jerks who are persecuting him, or the jerks who are doing nothing, but remain silent?
Those persecuting.

 

[CIVPhilzilla]

I avoid getting involved either way, takes away any dilemma.

 

[Sims2789]

If someone continuously throws stones at you, you have the right to throw a boulder at them if they do not cease after being repeatedly warned.

 

[Sims2789]

Really though, it all depends on the situation. If some guys were planning on killing the jerk, clearly I would intervene. But there's nothing mean about merely making fun of a jerk behind his back.

 

[Fox Mccloud]

If the first jerk didn't want the other jerks to be jerks, he shouldn't be a jerk in the first place, jerk. Jerk, that's a funny word never realized that before.

By the way, what's with all the random numbers?

 

[Pyrite]

Everybody is a jerk in the situation.
So screw em all!

 

[Gr3yL3gion]

1. I don't really care.
2. I only inform if the outcome benefits me, otherwise no.
3. I don't mind being a jerk.
4. Conclusion: Everyone's a jerk.

 

[Dann]

1. IYO, would the actions of these people reveal them to be much bigger jerks than the person theyre fixated on?

Hell, yes!

2. Would you feel compelled to inform the person of what these pople are doing, or would you stay out of it, because its none of your business?

Only if asked by the victim, but never of my own initiative. It is, after all, none of my business. If the victim has already caught on and asks me for confirmation however, my honesty and sense of righteousness will not allow me to cover up for others. (Unless the perpetrators have already bribed me beforehand to keep my silence.)

3. If you decided to remain silent and just continue observing this activity, do you think that would make you a jerk as well?

Yes. But it also makes me normal, not some self-righteous busybody. Face it, most people would most likely be snickering in silence at observing a bunch of jerks go at each other.

4. Of all of these, who is the bigger jerk? The original jerk who is being treated badly, the jerks who are persecuting him, or the jerks who are doing nothing, but remain silent?

The persecuters.