In class we discussed some of the reasons people do, or do not act opportunistically. In this post I would like to focus mostly on the ethical factors that drive peoples decisions. The only personal example I can think of occurred during my high school job at my home towns local pool. It was a mind numbing job, sitting at a cash register checking all the residents with pool passes and charging those who didn't about five dollars a person to enter. It was an outdated pool so there was no real register, just a box with a lock and a sheet of paper the cashier would use to tally all of the customers. On top of that there was only one manager and no cameras to monitor anything a cashier was doing. Although an outdated pool, it still managed to draw in a decent crowd of residents and non residents alike. During a single day there would be upwards of five hundred dollars in the register. A large amount of money in the eyes of high school student who was making minimum wage.
The reason I had this job was because one of my friends, we'll call him Adam for the sake of privacy, worked there and recommended applying because it was an easy job. After working a couple shifts it became apparent that Adam was taking money from the register and altering the tally sheet to cover his tracks. At first, I saw this as a golden opportunity to possibly double the money I was making for the summer. I would have untaxed, straight to pocket cash and almost no chance of getting caught. In the end, I couldn't bring myself to take any money. All the funds from the pool went back to the village I lived in and would negatively impact any recreational activities it funded. Anything from little league sports to the various art clubs it sponsored. How could I take money away from the same activities I grew up participating in?
Besides making choices to act based on ethical views, humans find other ways to not jump at every opportunity that presents itself. In class we discussed being a "good citizen" and how that can affect peoples decisions. I think the fact that acting opportunistically can be unethical and the fact that society idolizes the "good citizen" both amount to the same thing. Most people will decide not to act if that act is frowned upon by the majority. Another reason is that people believe patience is a virtue and that if you wait good things will happen. This reason to not act opportunistically is very different from the other two in my opinion. I see this as more of an excuse than a reason not to act. One could argue that waiting is foolish and that action is the only way to make something of oneself.
I thought your story interesting, but incomplete. So here are some questions I wish you had addressed.
ReplyDeleteYou said that society idolizes the good citizen. Let's take that is true, though most good samaritan behavior is entirely out of sight of the general public and it is typically an act of selfless generosity that somehow comes to public light - buying a pair of shoes for a homeless person, for example - that gets the recognition. In other words, not committing theft when that is possible probably would not generate accolades. In any event, in the case you were discussing the public would never know, right? If that's true, does how the public would act if they did know matter? And if so, why? I don't think these are easy questions to answer. Matters of conscience are not easy. But it would be good to think this through.
The other issue you might consider is whether you had a responsibility to report on Adam or not? Did the fact that he helped get you the job matter in that? And did you ask yourself this at the time or not? If you did ask yourself this question, is not reporting Adam a kind of ethical opportunism? You wouldn't profit from reporting him, but you'd obviously lose his friendship by doing so. Then in an opportunity cost sense you gained, by avoiding that pain. Or is that the right way to think of it?
With regards to society idolizing the good citizen, you are correct that most good deeds go unnoticed. I suppose I meant that if my potential theft did come to light it would be deemed unethical and I would have been fired. This is where the decision being made based on ethics transfers from morals to the fear of getting caught, which did play a role if I'm being completely honest.
DeleteAt the time, I did not even consider reporting Adam. Although I did not condone what he was doing, he happened to be a very good friend of mine. So I agree that my lack of action did reward me in the sense that I kept a friend and avoided the hassle of losing one.