I’ve never claimed to be 100% ethical, anymore than I’ve claimed to be 100% honest.
I do claim to strive for those things. I also claim to fail, and to aim towards better tomorrow than I am today.
To live a 100% ethical life is not possible.
I support women. I also support men who feel disaffected.
To some, that makes me a monster. Why would I help those who have been our oppressive overlords?
Well, to me, not having compassion for EVERYONE is unethical.
Granted, that compassion does not mean I have to break my own personal boundaries. Although, for some, not going out of my own way to help others, even beyond my comfort zone is unethical, because, well, they hurt more than I do.
And sometimes, ethics do not give you excellent choices.
For example:
I totally respect Alicia Silverstone for being against animal cruelty. I’m against needless animal cruelty myself.
I also ask these questions:
- I wonder if Alicia wears cotton picked by slave labor. I know she can afford not to, but does she do the ethical research, or wait until it’s handed to her?
- I wonder if Alicia or clothes put together by it. According to studies, many luxury brands are FAILING at assuring that their clothing is not made by slave labor. Take note the article mentions Prada, Prada, Salvatore Ferragamo, Fendi, Celine, Rimowa, Christian Dior, and Hermes…
- I wonder if Alicia instead chooses synthetics that will never biodegrade.
- I wonder how much she reduces, reuses or recycles her clothing (or hell, her household garbage—does someone do that for her? Does she care or investigate?).
- I wonder if she agrees with PETA’s policy of “rescuing” and killing hundreds of pets because death is better than a loving home of incarceration.
Now, please be clear, I don’t support PETA in any way, and I think their choices are generally morally and ethically repugnant.
However, I’m not castigating Alicia, because it’s impossible to live 100% ethically, and all of the things I’ve brought up here are just obvious examples why.
That’s doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try.
It just means that maybe we should be a little more understanding of those who aren’t QUITE as enlightened as we are.
