RE: Ethics and Job-Hunting

[SIANNON -at- VISUS -dot- JNJ -dot- com]

A lot of good posts on this topic!

I think Andrew Dugas and John Posada hit it right on the head.  The 
question is more complex, more edged with varying shades of gray than any 
black-or-white answer can cover; until presented with the specific context 
(an ethical use case?), many answers will hover.  And Earl Cooley's comment 
only underlines that. (How many jobs that you'd refuse right now would look 
sufficiently acceptable if you become jobless, with no savings, hungry 
kids, no electricity and an eviction notice on your door?)

The role of personal ethics in the workplace is a constant issue, and one 
that can only be addressed on an individual basis.  It is very 
enlightening, though, to know what some of your stances are -- sometimes we 
may feel very alone when we stand up for a belief in the arena of work.

I stand closer to John Posada's position, in that I would be willing to 
document a number of things I personally disapprove of; in my case, I have 
the perverse opinion that I'd prefer to have the knowledge of those, and 
maybe be in a potential whistleblower position (e.g.-with Frankenfoods or 
Carnivore), than remain ignorant of something I might consider dangerous to 
me or mine.  I'd prefer to document a weapon, and know what I'd need to do 
to protect myself from it, than one day face it without any knowledge or 
resources available.

Granted, my personal ethics are their own form of knotwork (rather liberal 
in some areas, and more conservative in others).  For example, I'd be more 
uncomfortable documenting Frankenfoods than I would be documenting 
weaponry, because I see the former as more insidious.  I *would* refuse 
jobs involving the promotion of kiddie porn or fundamentalist religious 
vendettas (e.g., those evil, disinformatic Chick tracts that appear en 
masse during other religions' holidays).  My ethics pivot firmly around the 
imposition of one person's will upon another (esp. an unwilling other).


Just my chromatic position in the rainbow,
Shauna

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