Week 4- Jesse Huang

Jesse Huang
10/13
Section 1

After reading Ethics and “Breaking Bad” : Developing and practicing ethical skills by Amy Block Joy, I found myself reflecting on several moral and ethical issues that I rarely thought about. Joy provides a reflective summary of Breaking Bad’s plot and how it ties in with questioning the rights and wrongs of moral actions. Through her characterization of Walter White, she provides the reader with a couple perspectives on how to judge Walter White morally. She offers a morally justified approach to Walter’s actions, yet she then provides another perspective where Walter is seen to be consumed by his greed and proceeds to head down a deeper path of depravity despite his initial good intentions. Joy highlights how morality can be easily disfigured and obscured even when people hold positive intentions through her depiction of Walter White. In addition, she provides an ethical dilemma for the readers and lists a couple options that provoke self reflection. As Joy described the results of the ethical theories, I found myself wondering what option I would choose  if i were in those situations. To my surprise, the option I choose was A, which was telling them it was and wrong but not telling my boss. I questioned myself, “Why wouldn’t I notify my boss about this theft? Was it because a flask was of too little monetary value to be even considered? Or did i value a more comfortable working relationship with my coworkers?”. I pondered this dilemma as I kept reading on, and much to my benefit, I was able to find my answer in Joy’s article. I understood that I was too afraid of confrontation over items of insignificant, but had the stolen item been of more value, I would have escalated the issue. I believe this decision was due to the fact that I had the mindset where it was not worth the trouble to potentially affect my working conditions and attributed a lot to the bystander effect where I hoped someone else would eventually tattle on the thief. Joy accurately provides a relatable account of how action-oriented ethics are impacted by personality and nurturing.

What social construct or influence prevents people from always following the right ethical compass and why?

“Home.” Where's Your Moral Compass?, www.wheresyourmoralcompass.com/.

Joy, Block Amy. (2017, October 13). Ethics and “Breaking Bad”: Developing and practicing Ethical Skills. Compliance and Ethics Professional. Retrieved October 13, 2017.