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We are facing a real ethics crisis within our institutions. My hope is that it’s always been like this and we are simply more aware now / the public is fighting

by bix6 2y ago

We are facing a real ethics crisis within our institutions. My hope is that it’s always been like this and we are simply more aware now / the public is fighting back. But wow it’s discouraging to see this kind of behavior across the board at the highest levels of everything whether it be government, business, charity, etc. Do people not desire to live ethical lives? Why are we all so twisted and selfish?

deleted 2y ago
[deleted]
mym1990 2y ago
Greed has certainly been a defining cornerstone of humans for a very long time, so I don't doubt these kinds of things have been happening behind closed doors for a very long time as well. The truth is that everyone has a price, and some people's price is much lower than others. I also think as leaders and people in positions of power see others commit moral transgressions and ethical breaches, some of those same leaders will say "what's the point"? Many of those leaders may start out as committing small ethical breaches, and they grow and grow until they've lost control of convinced themselves that its just "part of doing business".
DavidPeiffer 2y ago
With every news story like this, I think back to my time as a federal grant funded grad student, sitting through numerous seminars and training sessions about bribery, ethics, and history of ethical failures in research. The standard wasn't "avoid conflicts of interest", it was "avoid conflicts of interest and the appearance of impropriety", which is much more encompassing. It's immensely frustrating to see as much blatant "appearance of impropriety" among government officials. Gifts of tickets, gifts to supreme court justices, incredible stock market returns by members of congress and their spouses.
s1artibartfast 2y ago
I was expecting a lot worse that what the article describes. Legal donations of tickets worth 30k spread across 66 politicians. >My hope is that it’s always been like this and we are simply more aware now / the public is fighting back. I think this is better than it has ever been. Again, these are reported legal donations below a threshold set by law. Meanwhile, in other places you have politicians literally sell positions to to others and their office when they vacate.
- etrautmann 2y ago
  I can’t parse your last sentence
  - s1artibartfast 2y ago
    thanks, got cut off somehow
dangcock 2y ago
[dead]
legitster 2y ago
> My hope is that it’s always been like this and we are simply more aware now / the public is fighting back. Things used to be so, so, so much worse: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spoils_system https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spoils_system Don't get fooled into pessimism by the treadmill of progress. The fact that all of this information is available and gleaned by public filings is in itself a testament.

by bix6 2y ago

deleted 2y ago

[deleted]

mym1990 2y ago

Greed has certainly been a defining cornerstone of humans for a very long time, so I don't doubt these kinds of things have been happening behind closed doors for a very long time as well. The truth is that everyone has a price, and some people's price is much lower than others. I also think as leaders and people in positions of power see others commit moral transgressions and ethical breaches, some of those same leaders will say "what's the point"? Many of those leaders may start out as committing small ethical breaches, and they grow and grow until they've lost control of convinced themselves that its just "part of doing business".

DavidPeiffer 2y ago

With every news story like this, I think back to my time as a federal grant funded grad student, sitting through numerous seminars and training sessions about bribery, ethics, and history of ethical failures in research. The standard wasn't "avoid conflicts of interest", it was "avoid conflicts of interest and the appearance of impropriety", which is much more encompassing. It's immensely frustrating to see as much blatant "appearance of impropriety" among government officials. Gifts of tickets, gifts to supreme court justices, incredible stock market returns by members of congress and their spouses.

s1artibartfast 2y ago

I was expecting a lot worse that what the article describes. Legal donations of tickets worth 30k spread across 66 politicians. >My hope is that it’s always been like this and we are simply more aware now / the public is fighting back. I think this is better than it has ever been. Again, these are reported legal donations below a threshold set by law. Meanwhile, in other places you have politicians literally sell positions to to others and their office when they vacate.

etrautmann 2y ago
I can’t parse your last sentence
- s1artibartfast 2y ago
  thanks, got cut off somehow

dangcock 2y ago

[dead]

legitster 2y ago

> My hope is that it’s always been like this and we are simply more aware now / the public is fighting back. Things used to be so, so, so much worse: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spoils_system https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spoils_system Don't get fooled into pessimism by the treadmill of progress. The fact that all of this information is available and gleaned by public filings is in itself a testament.