Comments on: Bribing the cops http://pauljacobson.org/2005/06/29/bribing-the-cops/ blogger. evangelist. maven. Fri, 19 Mar 2010 08:14:03 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: Roy Blumenthal http://pauljacobson.org/2005/06/29/bribing-the-cops/comment-page-1/#comment-524 Roy Blumenthal Thu, 30 Jun 2005 03:49:14 +0000 http://pauljacobson.org/?p=536#comment-524 Hey Paul... Hehehehehe. The ethics of this are clear: bribery is unethical. I'm not proud of the fact that I bribed a traffic cop. I'm wondering, though, at what point blurring one's own personal ethics becomes acceptable. Some scenarios, ranging from extreme to slightly more subtle... (1) You're Jewish. It's 1939. The last ship out of Nazi Germany is sounding a long slow horn indicating it's about to leave. You know you've GOT to get out, and the only way to do it is to bribe the guy letting people onto the gangplank. It's a substantial bribe. And it's in your back pocket. Do you bribe the guy? Do you not bribe the guy, and thus prevent you and your family from escaping? (2) You've just arrived at the Zimbabwe border in your 4x4 en route to Kenya. You KNOW that a bribe is a normal part of doing business at these border posts. Do you pay the bribe and continue your journey? Do you not pay the bribe and get turned away? Do you not pay the bribe and spend a week in a holding cell? I dunno. It's easy to be moralistic. Less easy to be morally correct. (And I'm NOT digging at you or Jane (the person commenting on my post) on this one. Cos I happen to agree with both of you.) Blue skies love Roy Hey Paul…

Hehehehehe. The ethics of this are clear: bribery is unethical. I’m not proud of the fact that I bribed a traffic cop.

I’m wondering, though, at what point blurring one’s own personal ethics becomes acceptable. Some scenarios, ranging from extreme to slightly more subtle…

(1) You’re Jewish. It’s 1939. The last ship out of Nazi Germany is sounding a long slow horn indicating it’s about to leave. You know you’ve GOT to get out, and the only way to do it is to bribe the guy letting people onto the gangplank. It’s a substantial bribe. And it’s in your back pocket. Do you bribe the guy? Do you not bribe the guy, and thus prevent you and your family from escaping?

(2) You’ve just arrived at the Zimbabwe border in your 4×4 en route to Kenya. You KNOW that a bribe is a normal part of doing business at these border posts. Do you pay the bribe and continue your journey? Do you not pay the bribe and get turned away? Do you not pay the bribe and spend a week in a holding cell?

I dunno. It’s easy to be moralistic. Less easy to be morally correct.

(And I’m NOT digging at you or Jane (the person commenting on my post) on this one. Cos I happen to agree with both of you.)

Blue skies
love
Roy

]]> By: Roy Blumenthal http://pauljacobson.org/2005/06/29/bribing-the-cops/comment-page-1/#comment-525 Roy Blumenthal Thu, 30 Jun 2005 03:49:14 +0000 http://pauljacobson.org/?p=536#comment-525 Hey Paul...<br><br>Hehehehehe. The ethics of this are clear: bribery is unethical. I'm not proud of the fact that I bribed a traffic cop.<br><br>I'm wondering, though, at what point blurring one's own personal ethics becomes acceptable. Some scenarios, ranging from extreme to slightly more subtle...<br><br>(1) You're Jewish. It's 1939. The last ship out of Nazi Germany is sounding a long slow horn indicating it's about to leave. You know you've GOT to get out, and the only way to do it is to bribe the guy letting people onto the gangplank. It's a substantial bribe. And it's in your back pocket. Do you bribe the guy? Do you not bribe the guy, and thus prevent you and your family from escaping?<br><br>(2) You've just arrived at the Zimbabwe border in your 4x4 en route to Kenya. You KNOW that a bribe is a normal part of doing business at these border posts. Do you pay the bribe and continue your journey? Do you not pay the bribe and get turned away? Do you not pay the bribe and spend a week in a holding cell?<br><br>I dunno. It's easy to be moralistic. Less easy to be morally correct.<br><br>(And I'm NOT digging at you or Jane (the person commenting on my post) on this one. Cos I happen to agree with both of you.)<br><br>Blue skies<br>love<br>Roy Hey Paul…

Hehehehehe. The ethics of this are clear: bribery is unethical. I'm not proud of the fact that I bribed a traffic cop.

I'm wondering, though, at what point blurring one's own personal ethics becomes acceptable. Some scenarios, ranging from extreme to slightly more subtle…

(1) You're Jewish. It's 1939. The last ship out of Nazi Germany is sounding a long slow horn indicating it's about to leave. You know you've GOT to get out, and the only way to do it is to bribe the guy letting people onto the gangplank. It's a substantial bribe. And it's in your back pocket. Do you bribe the guy? Do you not bribe the guy, and thus prevent you and your family from escaping?

(2) You've just arrived at the Zimbabwe border in your 4×4 en route to Kenya. You KNOW that a bribe is a normal part of doing business at these border posts. Do you pay the bribe and continue your journey? Do you not pay the bribe and get turned away? Do you not pay the bribe and spend a week in a holding cell?

I dunno. It's easy to be moralistic. Less easy to be morally correct.

(And I'm NOT digging at you or Jane (the person commenting on my post) on this one. Cos I happen to agree with both of you.)

Blue skies
love
Roy

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