Are Ethics Necessary?
How does one tell the difference between unethical behavior and just plain stupidity? As a child, I was somehow guided to think that people who ran for office had to be intelligent, have studied ideas on what is good for their constituents, and be ethical—having an ingrained set of moral principles.
Some folks find their ethical grounding in church—through a holy book or the preachings of one who presumably knows something about right and wrong. Some learn from their parents, in school, or by observation. But the older I get, the more it occurs to me that a grounding in ethics doesn’t have the broad appeal I once presumed it did.
If one behaves in an unethical manner because one doesn’t know any better, that is actually a crime of ignorance, which I find troublesome in an elected official (and it raises questions about voters and/or the election process). But it’s not as terrifying as a public figure who will consciously manipulate his constituents’ perception of reality for personal gain. So, the difference between stupid and unethical is, perhaps, intent.
According to The Washington Post, as of August 13, Florida is averaging 18,000 new cases of covid a day, accounting for one out of five covid hospitalizations in the entire nation. Yet their governor, Ron DeSantis, insists that vaccination and/or mask mandates are not the way to go, despite the vocal guidance of health professionals. He is now touting the “monoclonal antibody cocktail”—once a person is infected—and recommends rushing to get this cure if you get the virus. Never mind that there is not enough to go around.
DeSantis resists mask mandates in schools, despite the covid deaths of four educators in one county in a 24-hour period. He has placed blame for the virus at President Biden’s feet for not reducing immigration through the Mexican border. (We’ve gone from the “China virus” to the “south of the border virus?”)
He is quoted as saying, “We can either have a free society or we can have a biomedical security state and I can tell you, Florida, we’re a free state.” He says citizens can make their own decisions about themselves and their families, disregarding how people’s choices affect the community at large—and clearly they are having an adverse effect on the state of Florida.
Is DeSantis that thick? Or so politically motivated he doesn’t care?
While I don’t agree with everything Governor Asa Hutchinson does or says (by a long shot), he appears to have some scruples. He can admit to a mistake—as he did when trying to alter the mask mandate ban he earlier signed into law. I appreciate that. I’m not certain about our legislature.
We once had a president who declared himself a victor in his bid for re-election, despite the overwhelming evidence to the contrary. Was he actually stupid enough to believe voters, election officials, and foreign powers aligned to thwart him? Or was he so depraved he would do anything to get his way? I’m not sure.
However, during his occupancy of the White House I became certain that candidates for high office should have to pass a psychological screening test. Now I am wondering about an intelligence test and/or a survey of moral standards.
Maybe I am out of touch because I simply can’t shake the shackle of ethics that binds me to principled behavior. I can’t imagine operating with absolute disregard for others’ well-being merely to get ahead.