Monday, October 28, 2013

Sometimes I'm not sure if I really trust my moral compass...

So ... this is a conversation I had over brunch the other day.  There are times when I probably shouldn't let people know exactly what I'm thinking.
Me:  Are you all ready to go to Mexico?  You're going to have a great time!
Her:  Yeah ... if I can just survive long enough to actually go.  I've got so much to do before then.  Seriously, I need an assistant, someone who's willing to work for about fifty cents an hour. 
Him:  Well you do work with refugees and immigrants, if anyone has access to cheap labor, it's you. 
Her:  That's an awful thing to say!
Him:  Come on, are you saying you've never even considered it? 
Her:  Of course not!  What do you think I am? 
Me:  (mutters) Obviously not one to take advantage of the opportunities offered. 
Her:  I'm supposed to be HELPING them, not turning them into what pretty much equates to slave labor! 
Him:  But if you could, would you? 
Her:  ... 
Me:  I hate to admit it, but I might.  
Her:  ... 
Me:  I'm not saying that I'd do it, just that if things were different, if we lived in a world where slavery was considered "acceptable" ... I can't be sure exactly where my morals would fall. 
Her: ... 
Me:  I'd like to think I'd be all "Slavery is bad, m'kay?" but I know myself well enough to admit that, if the option was on the table and no one was going to judge me for it, I might. 
Her:  ... seriously!!! 
Me:  I said might. 
Him:  (shakes head sadly) Kellie, I'm very disappointed in you.
Me:  Oh, don't come across all holier than though.  I know for a fact that the only thing keeling you from committing cold blooded murder is that you wouldn't survive in jail. 
Him:  Touche. 
Her:  ... how are we even friends? 

I suppose it's lucky I don't live in a world where slavery is considered okay, I'm not sure if I really trust my moral compass.

32 comments:

  1. Thanks for the Sunday-morning laugh. :)

    andi

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  2. Let's assume that your moral compass would kick in and you wouldn't enslave people. You would be "thrifty" and pay them extra low wages to "maximize your margin" and "minimize your expenses" and then you would be considered a brilliant business person like a gazillion other people that all but enslave workers.

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    1. I'd be an entrepreneur! A magnate! A mogul!

      I'm not entirely sure what those words mean, but it sounds impressive, doesn't it.

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  3. "Slavery" is a little harsh. You could always call it an "internship" then your morals remain intact.

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  4. It's all relative. In maybe the Sudan or someplace similar making $.50 an hour might classify you as solidly middle class. haha!

    S

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    1. I could just say I have old fashioned values. It's very Upstairs Downstairs, isn't it.

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  5. Lolz, I know I have thought about getting a day laborer or two to help me with yard work but I don't think I could pay them too low, too much guilt!

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    1. Don't worry, that just makes you a decent human being. Unlike me...

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  6. Really how can guys be friends!!!

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  7. Some of us need a new moral compass--the needles are bent on the old ones!!

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  8. Is this a bad time to admit I "stole" my moral compass?

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  9. Minimum wage in the US is something like $2.00/hr. Are you sure you live in a world where slavery is NOT ok.

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  10. Is it slavery if you pay them 50 cents an hour?

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    1. I suppose strictly speaking it's just paying them under minimum wage. Hey, I'm not as evil as I thought!

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  11. I'm not so sure I even possess a moral compass. Mine is out of whack and gone to the shop for repairs, never to be returned.

    Love,
    Janie

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  12. Give them a cramped, crappy place to live and feed them ramen noodles and suddenly you're a hero running a homeless shelter. It's all in how you spin it.

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    1. Ooh, I could spin that whole "teach a man to fish" thing and really come out looking like a hero, couldn't I!

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  13. Perhaps your moral compass points southward instead. That doesn't make you a bad person! lol

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  14. Moral compasses are so over-rated.

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  15. I could use an assistant. Even better I could us a great paying job that allowed me to pay them great too. :)

    Thanks for linking to Super Sunday Sync!

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    1. I suppose in a perfect world I'd be a squillionaire and pay them all.

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  16. I love this so much, for so many reasons. Not the least of which, it centers around saying things aloud that few people dare. I wonder this same thing quite often. What would my morals be if my cultural milieu was different? I think some of us would be rather surprised by the truth of that if we're honest.

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    1. I'm pretty sure most people have at least thought about it, even if they wouldn't like to admit it. I'm just a bit more shameless than most.

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