Cicero Rautenbach

I am regularly amazed by the lack of a sense of right and wrong from politicians and business people. Maybe it is just because I am living in the Washington DC area that this is so pronounced.

It should not amaze me – perhaps I am naive. Perhaps it is the sheer scale and absolute lack of shame of the people doing this that is amazing me. I am however worried about the example this sets for young people entering the job market and perhaps this is the biggest threat thatsuch actions hold for society – it is becoming more and more acceptable without anybody speaking out against it – political leaders, community leaders, business leaders, religious leaders or parents.

It is also particularly worrying that the words right and wrong are often replaced by the words legal and illegal to justify actions. The fact that something you are doing is legal, does not unnecessarily make it right. This is particularly relevant at the edges of legality and where strange reasoning is used to justify things. the same can be said with manipulating and omitting facts from an argument. These ethically and morally wrong actions will normally harm a specific group of people. In contrast it is not always clear that it will advance the perpetrator or his/her group.

Lets look at a few examples from the political world:

Suspending Habeas Corpus for political prisoners is legal. The President of the USA proudly ordered it so and until a court of law finds it unlawful, it is lawful. It is however morally and ethically deplorable and wrong.

Waterboarding is legal. The President of the USA declared it so. It is however ethically and morally wrong and should be condemed in the strongest terms.

Declaring that Global Warming is not a scientific fact but still debated in the scientific world is legal. It is however an ethically and morally corrupt thing to do as it is normally done to delay the actions needed to overcome it.

Voting yourself a nice fat salary increase, pension and medical insurance while denying an increase in the minimum wage while you are in congress is legal. Doing so while people are working 3 jobs to clothe and feed their families and dying because they can;’t afford health care is wrong.

This list can go on for page after page but I think I made my point.

In the business world, it is just as easy to find examples:

When the board and executive officers vote themselves excessive pay packages while denying good performing workers lower in the organization is legal. It is however wrong.

Appointing your own friends and family to senior positions in a company is legal. It is however wrong and will cost the organization dearly in the long run.

Classifying, reclassifying what constitute product sales, support, maintenance and services is legal (within certain bounds). It is however ethically wrong as it is normally done to serve the purpose of obscuring financial facts.

Selling products to customers because it might meet their demands partially despite the fact that somebody else’s product will fully meet their needs without being totally honest with the customer about what your product is lacking is legal. It is however deplorable and ethically wrong.

Taking a job to get the title and salary only to use it as a short term stepping stone to another job outside your company is legal but not ethical.

It has been my experience that eventually these people’s actions catch up with them. Unfortunately it is normally not soon enough. Having an alert and active press and a good board should however be enough.