Too Many Flavors to Choose From

Over the years, five ethical guidelines have been created to help people make good decisions. The first guideline says virtue is created when choosing a solid middle ground from two extremes. The second guideline says to determine what is right by applying a unique situation universally and seeing whether that would work. The third guideline says to find the ultimate happiness for everyone. The fourth advocates entering a “veil of ignorance,” and in doing so, justice will emerge. Lastly, the fifth guideline brings in the classic belief of loving “your neighbor as yourself.” Four of these five guidelines allow for wiggle room and can be modified with the ever-changing society, however the second guideline provides for no breach and expects the same out of everyone for every case, but that’s not how people work anymore. There are “too many flavors to choose from.”

The second guideline has been split into two similar viewpoints. The first is from Immanuel Kant’s “Groundwork of the Metaphysic of Morals,” published in 1785. The idea is to determine whether something is permissible by applying it to everyone and seeing if it would still stand. In theory, this sounds good, however, it get’s bad when Kant says moral law is binding and that there should be no exceptions. Kant believes if one allows an exception, then everyone must be allowed that exception, thus allowing society to crumble. The second viewpoint is derived from the religion of Islam. Similarly, this one expects everyone to follow what has been deemed to be good for the public. But Islam takes it a step further and says what is good should be commanded of everyone, and what is bad should be immediately outlawed in all circumstances.

This guideline is mistaken in its application. Under this guideline, one would not change what has always been considered appropriate just because society is changing. Under this guideline, society could still be facing serious racial or sexual tension. The Muslims believe having idols is a bad thing, but with the wildly popular entertainment options out there, more and more people are being discovered and becoming celebrities. Children growing up in the 20th and 21st centuries had people, real or imaginary, to look up to for a positive influence, like Indiana Jones or Ellen Degeneres, or even down to as a negative influence, like Lindsey Lohan or Lord Voldemort. Kids today learn valuable lessons through seeing how their idols interact with each other and encourages unique lifestyles.

References
Christians, C., Fackler, M., Richardson, K., Kreshel, P., & Woods, R. (2012). Media Ethics: Cases and Moral Reasoning (9th ed.). Boston: Allyn & Bacon.