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Monday, November 21, 2005
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■ In my opinion
Education and Ethics:A realistic pair?
In early November, the White House
staff was required to start attending
ethics lectures in response to the CIA
leak investigation. Indeed, taking re
venge on a Bush administration
naysayer by putting his undercover
wife in jeopardy, is hardly ethical.
These days, it seems like hardly anyone
on top is using ethical judgment.
One school wants to change that
trend. An international business school
called Instead wants to graduate stu
dents who are socially responsible in
their money-making practices. Instead
requires entrance exams which test
ethics along with aptitude, and ethics
lectures are worked into finance class
es. In an interview, Instead Dean
Gabriel Hawawini discussed the
school’s admission criteria and class
room content: “We have to make sure
that our curriculum has enough ethical
and social responsibility issues in ...
We should try to identify the kind of
people who have ethical standards.”
Considering the U.S. govern
ment’s recent flirtation with devel
oping moral fiber, ethical training
may soon become a key facet of
training public officials, or anyone in
a position of power.
Would a school system built upon
ideas of the Ethical be a good idea
for the United States? Can ethics
training sessions help end govern
ment corruption? Will newly moral
businessmen quell all insider
trading? Not necessarily.
To begin with, it is important to re
member that the definition of ethics is
squirmy, at best. Ethics, like morals
cannot fall under a static definition for
every person or situation, and maybe
that is why everyone seems to spend
so much time defining and defending
their unethical actions.
According to Merriam-Webster,
ethics are “a theory or system of
AILEE SLATER
FURTHER FROM PERFECTION
moral values.”
According to Scooter Libby, ethics
are making sure that your kin, and
their values and judgments, are
always safe from attack.
According to Dean Hawawini,
ethics are not falling into "the trap of
saying: ‘Everyone else is doing it. I
have to do it, too.’”
If pinned down, I suppose that I de
fine ethics as the ability to think out
side of one’s own interest for the pur
pose of furthering the greater good.
Though I suppose the definition of
“greater good” is still a bit murky.
If ethics cannot be defined, it is
easy to see why everyone has such a
hard time being “ethical.”
Was it ethical for President Bush to
begin his term in office by ending
pregnancy planning services that
mention abortion to women over
seas? I would argue that said policy
decision was an unethical one. For
Bush to cut off medical resources and
knowledge to a group of already un
derprivileged citizens, simply be
cause of his own stance on abortion,
is a political move which prizes the
desires of the President over the de
sires of the women. Of course, as far
as President Bush sees it, the really
unethical thing, the thing that is evil
and amoral and bad for society, is
killing unborn fetuses.
A school and training sessions
designed to promote the Ethical seem
like a good idea, but the trend begs
the question, whose idea of ethics will
be adhered to?
Some of Instead’s values sound
very positive. Demanding honesty,
working against bribery, using time in
every course to expand upon the play
of ethics within the business world.
Ethics schools are not a bad idea; I
only hope that they don’t become the
lame ducks in place of people actually
thinking out their actions, and coming
to a smart, cohesive conclusion on
what is ethical and what is not in the
business world.
Ethical schools in the United States
would have a decidedly thornier time
sorting out the unethical practices
from the modern manifestation of
capitalism. After all, a George W.
Bush Business Ethics University
would not necessarily be the correct
avenue with which to create a morally
sound workforce. From his past policy
decisions, it seems that Bush’s idea of
ethics involves giving bonuses to the
rich and degrading the poor. If capital
ism says that those who work hard
get rich, then the poor must be lazy.
A government ethics lecture at this
point might say “never mind!” to the
well-documented trend that upward
social mobility is becoming harder
and harder to attain.
The White House shouldn’t be
chided for trying to be ethical. The
White House should, however, be
chided for not being ethical.
Whether or not ethics classes or
ethics schools can eliminate the dis
crepancy between what is defined as
ethical, and what is not just in the in
terest of the person with power,
remains to be seen.
aslater@ daily emerald, com
■ Guest commentary
Headscarf ban was a fair ruling
While I normally enjoy reading Ms.
Slater’s pieces, last week’s “Banning
headscarves is religious discrimina
tion” (ODE, Nov. 14) bothered me.
Ms. Slater seems to be writing from a
solely U.S. perspective that has his
torically been uninfluenced by reli
gious wars or strife. In America, reli
gious diversity is encouraged and
relatively unhindered. This is not so
in other areas of the world.
We cannot judge T\irkey (and
France and subsequently the entire
European Union) from our rather
naive perspective. Let’s not forget that
religious discrimination and fueled vi
olence is rife throughout the world,
against every creed. In general, the
steps these countries have taken are
to protect everyone. In France, the
school boards decreed that symbols
from EVERY religion was prohibited
on school grounds — no headscarves,
crosses or crucifixes, or yarmulkes or
Magen Davids. The rule was univer
sally fair — and it was a decision that
was fueled by the increasing religious
ly fueled violence that eventually led
to several deaths.
Turkey has every right to follow
this path if it deems it necessary; the
country’s own history is full of ani
mosity between Christianity and Is
lam. If they have reasons to ban head
scarves, we might not be fully aware
of them, as we do not live in Istanbul,
and most Americans have never en
countered real religious discrimina
tion. And, while I sympathize with
Ms. Sahin’s religious devotion, let’s
remember that she does want to be a
health worker. She will, eventually,
be forced to remove her head scarf
for work purposes — for a medical
scrub, or examination, etc. If this
were a test in itself, she failed, which
is something the Turkish Courts
noted in their verdicts on Ms. Sahin’s
and other similar cases.
Unfortunately, Ms. Slater’s piece
screamed ignorance to me, and a
woeful neglect of international histo
ry. We cannot forget the fact that the
Crusades and both the French and
Spanish Inquisitions have caused po
litical and social damage that is still
unresolved today. It is important to re
member that our experience in the
U.S. with religion has an uncommon
history, and likely, future.
Sam Morris lives in Eugene.
INBOX
Commentary writer should
write what she knows
In response to Miss Feth’s “Riots
reveal political neglect,” ODE, Nov. 9:
To someone like me, born and
raised in France, who has lived in
the Middle East, whose grandpar
ents were Spanish immigrants estab
lished in Algeria for generations,
your commentary piece (“Riots
reveal political neglect,” ODE, Nov.
9) was a moment of pure forehead
slapping embarrassment.
Get off your high horse. Under the
thin veneer of political name-drop
ping, it is painfully clear you are not
well acquainted with the much more
complex-than-you-imagine situation
in France right now. “Raki” is not a
French word (unless you mean
“racaille”) and “they pay your taxes”
shows how little you know about
how the socialist system works in
my country.
Write about what you know.
All your article showcases is your
lack of maturity as a writer and as
a researcher.
Good luck to you.
Geraldine Poizat-Newcomb
University Adjunct Assistant Professor
■ Editorial
UO must
hold fans
responsible
for behavior
In our last editorial on fan behavior at Ore
gon football games (“Too drunk to stand up
for football game etiquette?” ODE Oct. 26),
we implored fans to “stay classy.” After Sat
urday’s Civil War, it is apparent that “classy”
behavior may be too much to ask for.
About 70 people were escorted out of the
game by Eugene police, according to the Eu
gene Police Department. At least one person
fought back and ended up in jail, police said.
Further, these figures don’t account for the
number of fans ejected by DPS and private
security officers.
“My sense is that it’s higher than usual,”
said Kerry Delf, EPD spokeswoman.
Referees momentarily stopped the game be
cause fans were throwing objects on the field,
causing one official to admonish spectators
over the public announcement system.
During the rush to storm the field after the
game, fans trampled other spectators who fell
before the crushing mob.
It’s one thing to have a good good-natured
dose of school spirit. It’s another to step on
people who have fallen down 50 you can slap
a player on the back. And it’s not just stu
dents who were responsible for atrocious be
havior at Saturday’s game.
Obviously, calling for self-restraint isn’t
enough to quell uncouth behavior. We thus
agree with the Student Senate’s Nov. 9 recom
mendation to University President Dave
Frohnmayer and the Athletics Department —
the University must take action.
Creating an advertising campaign featuring
athletes in commercials on the big screen at
games and having coaches talk before games
might be useful steps. Yet “more severe meas
ures,” such as revoking ticket privileges of vio
lators and increasing the size and competency
of the private security force, will likely be need
ed if Saturday’s game was a sign of future fan
conduct. New field access policies are also
needed to allow fans to safely leave the stands.
We urge President Frohnmayer and the Ath
letics Department to take action on this issue
before next year’s football season.
Reasons for war protest
location appear misguided
A handful of people protesting the Iraq war
Friday outside the Military Science building
were arrested for trespassing after they
blocked the building’s entrances. They noti
fied police and the media about their plans
before the protest and were willingly and in
tentionally arrested.
We question these demonstrators’ choice of
venues, however. Why did they pick the ROTC
building? Perhaps because they believe students
should not join our military. Perhaps because it
is one of few military buildings in Eugene.
Regardless, their decision to protest there
sends a subtle message that they are protesting
our troops, not merely our federal government’s
poor decision to invade and occupy Iraq.
Students in the program, and the soldiers
who teach them, do not necessarily support the
war. Moreover, they do not have the power to
change U.S. policy.
We laud the protesters’ peaceful tactics, and
we hope their protest draws continued attention
to U.S. activity in Iraq. But let’s not vilify soldiers
from ouf University, even unintentionally.