You can’t be ethical until you’ve fully examined and understood both sides of any issue.
Few things in life are black and white. That’s why we have to learn to Grapple with the Gray.
This episode's ethics challenge:
A writer in Psychology Today poses the following dilemma:
Coach Ted is a legendary figure in town. For 30 years, he’s coached the kids’ baseball league and promoted community values.
But now two women who work for the large accounting firm where Ted is CEO have come forward with serious complaints of sexual harassment by him. He denies everything.
The parents I’ve hung out with over the years at practices have always gushed about how much they love Ted’s way of dealing with the kids. But now some of the moms are saying they always thought there might be something fishy about him. He’s made what could be taken as suggestive remarks. The moms have caught him seeming to check out their bodies. And so forth.
All plausibly deniable by Coach Ted if they’d confronted him.
Instead, they've organized a petition to demand that Ted be removed as coach. They have asked me to sign it.
I don’t know what to do.
On the one hand, I want to support the women bringing the charges: Believe women. I also want to support the moms who feel betrayed and think themselves lucky to have escaped Ted’s predations.
On the other hand, I don’t know enough about what actually happened and I probably never will. And even if I knew everything, I’d still be confused by conflicting obligations.
The author begins the article with his conclusion:
As I’ve gotten older, I’ve found it harder and harder to apply moral reasoning to any situation that actually needs it. So I've pretty much given up on it.
Grapple with this:
1) What is the ethical response to the allegations against Coach Ted? Should the author sign the petition?
2) How should we evaluate the writer’s conclusion that he has “pretty much given up on moral reasoning”?
Thanks again to guest panelists Dave Bricker, Dr. Diane Hamilton, and Wayne Schoeneberg for a lively and thoughtful conversation. Our topic is presented below.