9.3 - Blog 9: Ethical Issues in the News|Racist Fraternity|

 In this blog I'll be writing about a situation that happened on the campus of the University of Oklahoma. The scenario was several fraternity kids taking part in a racial chant. The chant included ideas of lynching and hate crimes against other students of different races. The president of the university is quoted saying, 

"I have emphasized that there is zero tolerance for this kind of threatening racist behavior at the University of Oklahoma.". Such speech is hateful and threatening to other students trying to be there. Also, it violates school policies on free admission to extra-curricular activities within the school. Ethically it's a nightmare. Racism has obvious repercussions such as violence and further hurt. Racism ultimately goes back to the core morals of the individual. If one's morals are soaked in hatred and violence then the outcome can become racism. 

References:

Murphy, S. (n.d.). Retrieved March 10, 2015, from http://news.yahoo.com/fallout-continues-univ-oklahoma-over-racist-video-054431982.html. 

8.3 - Blog 8: Ethical Issues in the News

"Feds fight 'maternity tourism' with raid"

This past week dozens of "maternity houses were raided by ICE and similar government agencies. These houses were used to lodge foreign women who would pay to come to the United States for the sole purpose of giving birth. If they had a child in the United States then they could claim citizenship. The main idea is that the passport and social security number can come in handy if the families ever decide to leave their home country. Ethically the practice is entirely unethical and totally illegal. It brings into question the idea of all man kind being equal and having the same rights to freedom. Yes, we are all entitled to it, but there are certain hoops you must jump through to legally achieve it.. The practice is solely based on monetary gain by Americans, and the practice is disheartening for the reader. Here is a link to the article found on CNN: 

http://www.cnn.com/2015/03/03/us/maternity-tourism-raids-california/index.html,

References: 

Martinez, M. (2015, March 03). "Feds Fight 'Maternity Tourism' With Raid". 

Retrieved from: http://www.cnn.com/2015/03/03/us/maternity-tourism-raids-california/index.html.

7.3 - Blog 7: Ethical Issues in the News|Terror Children

Here is a very touching image of an American soldier holding a child. Ethically it can be seen that children have no place in war, especially around the horrors of it. News has been circulating about ISIS using children for the next generation of terrorists. It's been confirmed that children were used in several suicide bombing missions throughout the past as well. There have been video of small children as young as 5 years old committing heinous crimes such as executing people. In one instance a child was told to execute two men by shooting them repeatedly in the head- an act that he did indeed do. The children are virtually brainwashed and turned in terror laden fighting machines; intent on harming the world and promoting terror in the world. Ultimately it breaks whatever theories of morals or ethics you could have. How can humans be so morally downtrodden? Does this rewrite the theory of universal morality?





















References:
Unknown author. (2015, Febuary 23). Terror trainees: New ISIS video shows indoctrination of kids as young as 5. Fox News. Retrieved from http://www.foxnews.com/world/2015/02/23/terror-trainees-new-isis-video-shows-indoctrination-kids-as-young-as-5/?intcmp=latestnews.

6.4 - Blog 6: Ethical Issues in the News

Today I'm going to be discussing a recent article I found on the new innovation that is sweeping the battlefield, as well as the civilian aviation community. The technology is something you've more than likely heard of as it's been around for a few years. Drones, also known as Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS), are the technology I'm referring to. According to Osborn with Fox News (2015), "There is still a robust military market for small UAS. We’re getting a lot of requests for demonstrations all the time. Everyone around the world saw how valuable these assets were in our latest conflicts. Everybody wants them,” he said.". (quoting the business director of development for Lockheed Martin)
Small versions of the large drones (such as the predator and other combat drones) are becoming the future in the aviation world. Apparently there's quite an economy for them, and globally it's been growing fairly consistently.
What are the implications of an unmanned aerial system in wartime use? Ethically how does it match up to utilitarianism for the complete good of mankind? I would argue that it actually follows the utilitarian idea in the fact that it saves more good lives then traditional boots on the ground fighting. Yes, it does put a lot of pressure and stress on the drone pilots, but in the end many lives are saved or potentially saved by using these small drones.


References:
Osborn, K. (2015, February 17). Global Market Growing for Miniature Drones. Retrieved from http://www.foxnews.com/us/2015/02/17/global-market-growing-for-miniature-drones/.

5.4 - Blog 5: Ethical Issues in the News| Three People Slain Execution Style

In Rock Hill, NC the atmosphere is that of a typical college town. The late night parties, fraternities, and sororities are common. However, this week the county had a wake up call that would scare the pants off of any normal person. In an apartment complex near University of North Carolina three people were killed... execution style. All three individuals were of the Muslim religion and thus the crime has been dubbed a hate crime. The alleged shooter has been taken into custody on three counts of first-degree murder. The victims were all decent people with backgrounds full of volunteer work for the homeless people in the country of Turkey. All three victims were students taking classes at the nearby university and the fellow students have shown great support in this tragedy.
A question that arises is, "why"? Why would the shooter feel the need to go against all things ethical and moral to commit such a heinous crime? It has been speculated that he was part of an anti-muslim group, and openly made anti-religious comments on social media. However, this is a good illustration of people acting in selfishness under a just cause. The media has done a good job of promoting the negative side of Muslims, in light of ISIS and the terrorist acts committed by radical Muslims throughout the years. This isn't to say that it's their fault or that they had any part in the killings. It's just to show the effect the media has and the power that they are privileged to have in today's society.

Here's a link to the article if you're interested in reading it.
http://www.foxcarolina.com/story/28079452/were-three-slain-for-their-religion-or-their-parking-space

4.3 - Blog 4: Ethical Issues in the News

While I was researching for this blog I came across an interesting article that immediately captured my full attention. The article was on the reasons behind ISIS brutality and horrendous acts against mankind. The Jordanian pilot, the Japanese execution, etc. all contribute to the totally twisted idea that mankind has limits to what he is capable of. Some people argue for the common good in people; which would bring up the question of how this could happen if that was the case. Others would argue that there is no common good in mankind and it's relative to the situations people are placed in. The questions surrounding ISIS are ethically and morally related. They do their dirty work in the name of their "morality" or their "ethics", but how could a human treat another human like this? Surely there are "universal laws" that describe situations like this. There must be some sort of general universal truth regarding these kinds of people, right? Here is a link to the article I found, and I hope that maybe it would help you answer some of the questions in your own mind.


http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/feb/08/isis-islamic-state-ideology-sharia-syria-iraq-jordan-pilot

4.3 - Blog 4: Ethical Issues in the News| Superbowl XLIX

    This coming Sunday is probably America's most unofficial, official holiday. It's known around the country as Superbowl Sunday, but the difference between years past and this one is certain ethical events leading up to it.

   If you watch sports news at all, or listen to it on the radio; you will have heard something about the "deflate-gate" as they're calling it. By them I mean the sports media and the NFL. There is an investigation going on right now about whether or not the New England Patriots purposefully deflated 11 of their 12 footballs (which makes them easier to grip) in the AFC Championship game against the Indianapolis Colts. While the score (45-7) is pretty appalling, this development seems to have made more headlines than the actual game.

   While most people focus on the "who done it" aspect, I would like to examine it through the eyes of an ethics student. Ethically we find that there are probably three universal values (as suggested by James Rachels). They are: A policy of caring for small children and infants, a rule against lying, and a rule against murder. The Patriots deflate-gate falls into the second category (based on what the media is portraying). A person is innocent until proven guilty; however, some opposing fans have seemed to forget that. Now that I'm off topic let me do an about-face back to my ethics topic. I found it interesting that no matter who the fans are; whether they be Patriots fans, Colts fans, or Seahawks fans, they all want to know the truth, What is the truth concerning this NFL predicament? Some want it to jaunt the other rivals, but most people are just curious as to what really happened. This whole scenario just seems to back up the idea that universally there is some form of goodness and ethics in people. The unspoken rule against lying goes a long way, even in today's world.

   Whatever the outcome is, I know they will get to the bottom of this dilemma. Either way I'll be enjoying the superbowl with friends and family, and I hope you'll be doing the same.




References used:

Alesia, M. (2014, January 22). Sports ethics experts analyze Belichick, 'DeflateGate'. [Web log]. Retrieved from http://www.indystar.com/story/sports/nfl/colts/2015/01/22/sports-ethics-deflategate-bill-belichick-new-england-patriots-indianapolis-colts/22153199/.

Rosenstand, N. (2013). The Moral of the Story: An Introduction to Ethics. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.