Atwell- M12

The Drowning Child

 

I believe the difference between the drowning child and children dying from poverty is that the child who’s drowning can be saved in an instant. The trouble is easily noticed and quickly fixed. When it comes to poverty, because of how America has become, we don’t know if the money we donate to such causes like poverty are actually going to those causes or if the organization is keeping 90% of it for their CEO, which is definitely the case in many many situation. On top of this, I wouldn’t say that poverty is always easily noticed. You can’t just say “oh that kid has old torn up shoes and clothes” because kids grow out of their shoes and clothes quickly. If you aren’t actively going to school with your child, you won’t see that they aren’t eating lunch. And even if you do know that they are living in poverty, many times the parents will prevent anyone from helping their children, be it because of pride or shame.

Yes, I believe we should help our fellow citizens when they need help, but the situation can be much more complicated than having to throw your shoes in the dryer.

M12- Holcomb

According to Peter Singer there is a question about what we spend our money on and at the same time what we don’t spend our money on. He talks about how we could make a difference in a child’s life just by donating the money we would spend on a pair of shoes to an organization that helps poor children. This is not something I had ever considered before but it has definitely made me think more about what I spend my money on.

Peter Singer does not think that you can “think whatever you want about right and wrong” and I agree with him. There are some issues where it is good to have your own opinion but most moral issues (or right and wrong issues) already have definite answers.

 

I watched the “Drowning Child” and “Applied Ethics.”

Baker M12

I have often wondered how to handle the question posed by the viewer on Ethical Dilemmas in The Workplace: The Ethics Guy on ABC News. I have never been let go from a job before, and I hope I never do, because like the viewer, I would be complete lost as to what to say. This question has always left me to scratch my head when I skip over it as I’m filling out a job resumes. What do employers want to hear, and what should I tell them.
If an interviewee was fired from a past job, this tactic on asking these types of question to said future employee would really allow the interviewer the chance to really get to know the interviewee on a much more personal level, then would have otherwise been possible had the interviewee not been fired on the previous job. I feel this really give the employer a good opportunity to really understand the character of the person he is interviewing. People who have never been fired can just by pass this question, which weather good or bad, would not allow the interviewer the opportunity to discover the moral character of the interviewee.

Bruce Wienstein PhD from TheEthicsGuy.com expresses that what is important when this question does arise in an interview is that you can confidently express what you can bring to the company. I would use this opportunity if asked about my past employment to show them how I have learned by being confident and expressing to them exactly how I have developed and changed since then. I would want them to know that even if I made a mistake, that I can confidently learn from that mistake and use this insight to better my place within the company.

M12 Gilman

Why Marijuana is Illegal and Tobacco is Legal?

I have always looked at this situation through the ill-informed lense of when it was made illegal.   The amount of scientific information we have now is much greater than when it was made illegal.   Many other drugs with cognitive impairing effects have shown really negative side effects.   Seeing this pattern would lead others to believe that marijuana would have negative side effects as well.   It would be more logical to believe marijuana would follow the rule rather than being the exception.   Tobacco doesn’t seem to have negative effects on cognitive ability.   Now that we have better technology and better understanding we might look back at today saying how ridiculous we sound.

M12-Zhang

Noam Chomsky – Why Marijuana is Illegal and Tobacco is Legal

In the video, Chomsky argues that the reason why tobacco is legal while marijuana is not is because unlike tobacco, marijuana can be grown anywhere. Being tobacco an industrial crop that requires substantial capital and multiple inputs, suppliers, manufacturers and retailers can all make money from it, which would explain why cigarettes are legal despite being far more lethal than marijuana. Although Chomsky presents his argument as mere speculation, numerous studies have demonstrated that tobacco smokers are at a higher risk for many types of cancer — the most common one being lung cancer. In view of these considerations, one cannot help wondering whose interests U.S. policymakers are trying to protect by keeping tobacco legal and marijuana illegal. If the only reason why policymakers refuse to legalize recreational marijuana is because they truly care about U.S. citizens’ health, the most ethical and coherent thing to do would be to also outlaw tobacco.

Why Marijuana is Illegal and Tobacco is Legal

This is a very interesting viewpoint on the subject. What if this was the case? Have we not done this same thing in the past (prohibition)? Now alcohol proves to be a terrible substance.   It is legal to produce, but not without strict regulations. As Chomsky says marijuana will grow anywhere so it can’t be regulated – profit would only go to the dealer and not to the government. A counter for this argument would be the high achieved from someone using marijuana is different from that of tobacco. Everyone reacts differently, and in my opinion, until there is a just way of testing if someone is high at work, I would rather it remain illegal. I operate cranes for a living, and if another operator is high, nobody will know about it until after the accident happens.

Kardash – M12

I agree with Chomsky’s ideas on why marijuana is illegal, but tobacco is legal. It is easy to deem something illegal without sheer numbers of individuals, especially those with money, who will fight for it. He brought up that a lot of money is to be made from tobacco from fertilizer companies, pesticide companies, and others. If tobacco were to be proposed to be deemed illegal, there would be many multi-million dollar companies backing up the idea of keeping it legal, and as we have learned in this class, money is power and often makes ethics overseen.

While marijuana sales could be taxed, there isn’t a lot of money to be made on it, as Chomsky stated, it can be grown in anyone’s back yard on a small scale. With that being said, if marijuana were to be legalized there is a possibility that it could grown into a large industry such as tobacco. As a chemistry major, I hear a lot about how the jobs in labs for marijuana companies are booming right now. There is a high need for lab techs and those trained to do the analysis on the plants. If marijuana were not be legalized, I believe that there would be an increase in jobs in the industry as well as an increase in the quality of the marijuana. Chomsky did state that there has been no overdoses of marijuana, while that is true, marijuana can be laced with other drugs, or various products can be sold with too much potency.

Many pros and cons of tobacco and marijuana’s legality are available, but I believe most of the concerns addressed are economic issues and not ethical issues, when safety should be a higher priority.

Kendall M12

The video I watched was Ethical Dilemmas in the Workplace.

As an interviewer I think it’s important to ask questions that allow the applicant to answer critically of themselves. If they do answer critically I think this shows some level of self-awareness and ability to learn from the mistakes.

As a job applicant, I think confidence is key. Owning your past mistakes is also very important, as Dr. Bruce Weinstein puts it, future employers respect honesty. Combining all these characteristics give complete answers and shows that learning from mistakes is a trait you possess.

M12 – Freeman

Video: Ethical Dilemmas in the Workplace

In your career, you will be both interviewer (manager and hiring authority) and interviewee (job applicant). As a manager, how would you find out whether the employee learned from his/her mistake? What questions would you ask?

As a manager conducting an interview with a potential employee, I would find out whether the employee learned from a mistake by first asking how they problem solve in tricky situations. Making a mistake is challenging (and tricky) because there are differing levels of complexity (who it affects, how it affects, etc.) to the outcome of it. By asking an interviewee how they problem solve, I would be interested in how they work their way out of a tough situation – most mistakes are tough situations – and whether or not they found themselves in a similar situation. Another question I would ask is if they were able to apply whatever they learned to different situations, whether it be personal or in a different work environment. I think it is an important trait to carry lessons that you’ve learned wherever you go. By being able to carry on these lessons, it shows that an employee has learned from their mistake.

As a job applicant (interviewee), how will you “own’ the “failure’ (every failure is a learning opportunity). How would you put that “failure’ in a positive light? If you do not already have a “failure’, can you think of one a friend has had and articulate how you would advise them?

As a job interviewee, I would own my failure by admitting to the mistake and taking responsibility for the impacts of it. I think it is important to acknowledge and take ownership of failures, ignoring failures does not allow for personal growth. I would put a failure into positive light by explaining all the precautions that I have taken since the event and how it has proven to be beneficial in a professional work environment. In my personal experience when I am asked about one of my weaknesses, I’ll explain a weak area and then put it into a positive light by sharing all the ways I am working on improving that aspect. I agree that every failure is a learning opportunity. Failures can be initially scary and difficult to deal with, but turning around that failure is healthy for personal development.

bolduc M12

‘Why Marijuana is illegal and Tobacco is legal” was an interesting video to watch and there was a lot about the two industries that coincide with one another. I’m currently taking the chemistry of cannabis course that’s being taught at the University and we have had speakers come in from the Alcohol and Marijuana Control board to come to discuss the legality of the substance for the state of Alaska. There is such a large push for an increase in testing for products like CBD, THC, CBN, terpenes, etc but the lack of experimentation and poor lab practices make it difficult to achieve an optimal guide for establishing proper testing procedures. This is extremely important in being able to provide consumers with the proper strengths and benefits from terpenes that they are searching for. I think the largest downfall is large companies trying to influence or send their products to labs known for giving high percentages. Large industries are going to consume the marijuana market just like the tobacco industry conglomerates. we are likely to see the partnership between large corporations like Marlboro, or Corona with dispensaries in the future.

Cyr M12

Workplace issues:

In a scenario where I have an interviewee in front of me I would base my judgment off of their reactions and comments. If they were fired or let go I would ask them what happened and why it happened. If they give mature non-angry responses and outline their mistakes and how they learned from it, then it would be a good response. I would ask them if they thought it was their bosses fault the company, or was it their fault. I would ask what sort of life and business lessons they had learned from their previous employment and how they were going to implement said lessons in this new job opportunity.

 

If I was being interviewed as a potential employee I would like to not necessarily bring up mistakes but to discuss how I could have made different choice for better outcomes. If I can give a reasonable response to tough questions as well as be honest I think a potential employer will have an easier time trusting you. People who try to hide and cover their mistakes haven’t learned from them in most cases. You cannot become better without mistakes because it creates that life lesson that molds you into something better. The mistake I had made previously was being late to work a few times in a month. I was not managing my time and schedule right so I ended up staying up late numerous times that then put me behind in the mornings. I was verbally counseled and written up on paper. I realized the way I was managing time was not conducive to a good work environment and it looked bad on me to show up late. Even though I loved my job and took great care, being late automatically made me look like I don’t care. I made changes to my lifestyle and scheduling to the point where I was never late again for that job. I learned my lesson and it has served me very well since.

M12 (Olsen)

I am commenting on Ethical Dilemmas in The Workplace: The Ethics Guy on ABC News. I think that this video contains a lot of useful information on how to handle job interviews and some of the tough questions that interviewers like to ask. When an applicant is able to answer these questions with confidence and in a fashion that still impresses the interviewer, they are more likely to land the job than another applicant who is nervous and doesn’t know how to handle the tougher questions. Dr. Bruce Weinstein says that the most important thing to do in an interview is to establish a trust with the interviewer by being open and honest. Even if the applicant has been fired in the past, the applicant should be honest and answer the questions with confidence. The applicant should also reinforce his statements with reasons why they would be beneficial to the new company and how they will help the company to be successful.

One last tip that Dr. Weinstein gives is to practice interview questions and answers before the interview. This tip is not only helpful in the interview setting but also in many other areas such as public speaking and sporting competitions. When the individual is able to visualize or, better yet, practice the event, they are more likely to be successful. This was a great video and one that all young job seekers should watch before they go through the interviewing process.

Sutton: M12

The video I decided to comment on is “Why Marijuana is Illegal and Tobacco is Legal” with Noah Chomsky. Watching this video was very interesting. Although marijuana is a touchy subject for many people, he makes a good point about the legality of these two substances. I personally have an uncle who passed away from lung cancer that could have been prevented if he had just not smoked cigarettes. I am so surprised that people still smoke tobacco when there is so much research that proves how deadly this substance is. This is just an example of how big companies have such a huge control over these industries. Because marijuana can be grown anywhere, these companies and the government want to control it so they are getting the profit. The selfishness that stems from these laws is astounding if you think about it in the sense of profit. Although there is a lot of benefits from CBD oil and marijuana, the major companies and the government want to keep everything to themselves.

Ethical Dillemas in the Workplace

The video that I chose to comment on is Workplace Issues- Ethical Dilemmas in the Workplace: The Ethics Guy on ABC News.

All of us faced by those moments when doing what is right is very different from doing what is easy or what would be the most ethical choice. I have been in a very similar situation, working as a sales person with monthly sales target, after few years I decided to quit. I worked hard and I had good results, but it was too much pressure on me.

Trying to find a new job, on different interviews i faced the same question : “why did you leave your last job?”

I told to the interviewer that I quit job and left the chronic stress behind, maybee is not the best answer, but I think that being honest on a job interview is very important and is beneficial to you in the long term. The interviewer should be more interested of how can you benefit the actual company than what you did at your previous job.

M12 Blaszczak

Why is Marijuana Illegal and Tobacco Legal?

This is just another example of big corporations firstly, not caring for the well-being of consumers (as tobacco is by far more lethal than marijuana) but also making money the number one priority. The Tobacco industry is a monopoly and can charge any price as their product is highly addictive. Noam Chomsky points out there are people in jail for possession of marijuana who should have no business being there. Marijuana isn’t (fully) legal yet because it is easier to grow without the help of industrialized organization like ones who took over the production of tobacco. This ethical dilemma is just like our first case study from earlier on “dumping.” Businesses will do anything to make a profit, whether it means putting other humans in harm’s way. When money is the priority, morals go out the window.

The Legality of Marijuana – R. Thomas

Noam Chomsky had several valid points in his comparison between the legality of tobacco and the legality of marijuana. Recently, a market for industrial marijuana has been developed and has taken off in the state.  When the lethality of each substance is compared, it seems almost intuitive that marijuana should be legal and tobacco illegal. Furthermore, A point I would like to add to Chomsky’s argument is the US age restrictions for these two substances (for marijuana=21+; for tobacco= 19+), the more lethal substance is available at a younger age. Why?

Chomsky provides a strong point, which is that tobacco is exclusively an industrial, whereas marijuana can be grown anywhere, including Alaska! This could explain the legality, price, and age-restriction dilemmas in the US.

Module 12 – Hoover

I watched Noam Chomsky’s Why is Marijuana Illegal and Tobacco is Legal.

Personally, I think there are arguments on both sides of the marijuana legality fight. I am on the side that I do not think recreational marijuana should be legal. I understand the importance and need for medical marijuana but recreational should be more closely monitored. Noam Chomsky compared the legality of marijuana and tobacco. There have been more medical studies that show how helpful marijuana can be and how detrimental tobacco can be and yet the one that is helpful is (was) illegal and the one that harms people is legal. To me, and I’m sure other people feel the same way, that seems backwards. Yet that is how it has been for decades and the world doesn’t seem bothered by it. The tobacco industry is massive and millions (if not billions) of dollars are made each year; but through that industry comes disease and medical problems. I agree with Chomsky that there is a disconnect between the marijuana and tobacco but at the same time I don’t think the world is willing to do much to change what needs to be changed.

M12 (N. Kates)

All four of the videos were interesting. The Noam Chomsky video, “Why Marijuana is Illegal and Tobacco is Legal” is a hot topic in which I am sure will get a lot of feedback. I can relate most to the “Ethical Dilemmas in the workplace: The Ethics Guy on ABC News” video because part of my job is resume building and interview prep. He was spot on about being truthful, yet focusing what you can contribute NOW with the current business. This is in a nutshell, what I always tell our clients when we are mock-interviewing. Peter Singer’s “Drowning Child” video really puts things into perspective, I think.

It was Noam Chomsky’s “The Alternative to Capitalism” video that stood out to me, because I actually very much disagree with a statement he made when comparing wage labor to slavery. Chomsky stated, ” …wage labor, you are renting yourself, which is not very different from being a slave…” I’m not quite sure I see how that even comes CLOSE in comparison. With wage labor, yes you are essentially renting yourself, but you have free will to accept or refuse a job, to seek alternative employment, negotiate your wage….the list goes on. Even with some private business owners, you can say that they are renting themselves, especially when referring to the service industry. For example, my mother does not work a wage labor job. She is self-employed and offers a service. You could say that she is renting herself because she is receiving compensation for the services she renders. However, she is the one who determines the rate, with whom she does business with, etc. She makes ALL of the decisions. I would be interested to hear why he compares wage labor with slavery, because it just makes no sense to me whatsoever.

M12-Smith

I watched the video Ethical Dilemmas in the Workplace: The Ethics Guy on ABC News

If I was the interviewer and found out the interviewee had been fired from their last job, the first thing I would do would be to look at how long they were employed there. I think the length of an employee’s  employment is is important because the there’s a huge difference between having a job for 5, 10, 15 years then getting fired or working 3 weeks and being fired. Managers, coworkers and even jobs can change over the years and while you might have been able to do you job well in the beginning with the changes in technology for instance many jobs get harder because you have to learn new stuff to do the same job. Another question I would ask would be if why they were fired and if they have learn from said problem.

I had a coworker who worked with me at a local supermarket in the produce section who got fired because she only showed up for work about 40% of the time. She never called in or anything. If were giving her advice on how to get employed elsewhere the best bet would be emphasize that she was young, immature and bad at time management but, now she realizes the importance of being responsible.

Napier- M12

The topic of marijuana legalization has caused deep divisions throughout the country, regardless of political affiliation or ethnicity. Many believe, as Chomsky points out, that marijuana is likely unhealthy and therefore should be banned. From my point of view, this is an honest argument rooted in concern for the well-being of society. Although this may be true, the degree of unhealthiness (if anything at all) should not be up to the government to protect people from though.

As Chomsky credibly states, the legality of tobacco over marijuana is likely due to how much profits certain companies can make off of each crop. With marijuana being so easy to grow (even at northern latitudes), big businesses that typically lobby with billions of dollars for the tobacco industry see it as a threat, and therefore fund legislative actions against legalizing its recreational usage. These actions are all done to keep tobacco a cash crop for certain factions of the economy, and can likely only be fought with pro-marijuana legislation. Places like Alaska and Oregon have already taken local actions, and have shown that positive outcomes can come from responsible legalization. If federally legalized, the tobacco industry will become weakened, and will therefore have a more difficult time propagandizing damaging ads that plague our nation and its youth (e.g., vape pens, e-cigarettes).

Legalization would also give non-violent people in prison who were convicted for marijuana possession another chance at a normal life. Although they may have technically committed a crime when they were sentenced to jail, the fact that Americans from different states are held to various legal standards like this is hypocritical. Once legalized, there would also be less of a need for drug trafficking from places outside of the country. These actions would inevitably lower crime rates around the country, and unless further action is needed down the road, the words (both of warning and support) of Noam Chomsky should be taken seriously as our country moves toward federal legalization.

M12 Huynh

My thoughts on Noam Chomsky’s perspective on Marijuana vs. Tobacco would be that I agree with what he has to say when it comes to how tobacco makes more profit being legal, since it is less accessible to make then that of marijuana, where anyone could easily grow it. The idea that one drug is legal than the other shows how, to a point, the law was placed just to keep a market that is easily profitable to everyone not legal to do. The control on Tobacco is easy since many people cannot excessively produce tobacco from their houses, which makes it easier to sell legally with profit by certain individuals. But things such as marijuana, where many people can produce it easier, it becomes harder to profit off of. So by making it illegal, certain individuals are able to stop that easy business not primarily because it’s a drug to keep away from the public, but because the public could easily sell it just like industrial manufacturers, which certain individuals do not want to happen.

M12-Young

After watching Noah Chomsky’s video titled “Why Marijuana is Illegal and Tobacco is Legal’, I don’t know if I would agree with his reasoning about why marijuana is illegal. He mentions marijuana is like solar energy and can be grown pretty much anywhere but tobacco is industrialized and money can be made from tobacco. If marijuana is so easy to grow like Noam mentions and we are basing it off of money making viewpoints then why wouldn’t marijuana be legal. It takes so little to grow which gives the opportunity to make numerous dollars when little could be spent to grow it. Also, if tobacco is so bad for you then why are smokes and chewing tobacco and other products still being sold and something less lethal such as marijuana not legalized. One argument could be that marijuana is addicting but at the same time so is tobacco, as Noam says, is far more lethal. Thinking about the profit that the government could be making on a product that isn’t as lethal as tobacco could be why we will see it become legalized more. For example, just near the end of 2018 marijuana became legal in all of Canada.

M12-Doyle

Noam Chomsky — Why Marijuana is Illegal and Tobacco is Legal  

This is a very relevant topic present time because of the fact that there are huge debates on whether or not marijuana should be legal or not. In Canada where I am from, the Prime Minister made Marijuana legal in the entire country and the United States is starting to do the same, more and more states are making the drug legal. I believe the drug should be legal for everyone to purchase. It creates so many jobs for people, where they can work at stores that sell the drug or they can work at the shops and grow the plant. It also creates revenue for the country because of taxes, instead of buying the drug illegally from a dealer the country can generate lots of money by making people pay taxes for the drug. Another reason I believe it should be legal is because it is proven to be less deadly then alcohol and tobacco, Noam Chomsky brings this up in his argument. Noam also brings up an interesting point in saying that since Marijuana  can be grown by anybody the government decides to make it illegal because they can’t make a profit from it compared to tobacco where it has to be made and the government can then sell it therefore making profits.      

Drake M12

I chose the Drowning Child video. When the Notre Dame Church caught on fire the world watched in horror as it burned. People have donated Millions to help rebuild the church.   If you have more money than you will ever need, help the people who can’t afford food, healthcare, and medicine.

M-12 Ellingson

Noam Chomsky – Why Marijuana is Illegal and Tobacco is Legal

This topic is very interesting because it is so relevant in the United States right now. More and more states are starting to pass laws that allow legal use of Marijuana at the age of 21. I think the reason for that is because people are starting to learn more and more about weed and because there haven’t been any deaths from the drug and some people actually use it to benefit their health in some cases. I think because weed had such a bad rep it was made illegal. Tobacco is an easy way to make money and easy to tax and people will always continue to buy it. I think that is the next stage for weed in the rest of the country. If it is made legal more and more people will start to use it and it will be taxed. I think that it is a very big opportunity for the government to make money and help out the economy. It has potential to be a huge money maker for people. I think the only reason that tobacco was legal and weed was not is because we didn’t really know how big of a business the industry could be.

Dodds (M12)

The video that I chose to comment on is Workplace Issues- Ethical Dilemmas in the Workplace.

I really enjoyed Dr. Bruce Weinstein’s point of view on how to explain previous work issues to a possible new employer. Dr. Bruce Weinstein said in the video, “focus on how you can benefit this company at this time, because a good employer will be concerned about what you’re going to bring to the table for him or her”. I personally think it’s best to be straightforward and honest during an interview. The way that I’ve owned my failures from the past is by focusing on how much I’ve improved from that point. I’ve worked in the food service industry for a few years now and when I started out I would easily get frustrated and couldn’t handle the speed required for serving. At my current job I let the manager know that I’m still learning, but I’m a hard worker and any constructive criticism she gives me will immediately be used. The manager appreciated my honesty about my experience.

If I was a manager interviewing someone and trying to find out if they’ve learned from a past mistake I would be straightforward. I would simply ask in what ways has the person learned from that mistake and how do they approach that situation now.

I think it’s important to make the interviewing process an enjoyable time and a big aspect of that is being positive.

Mod 12 (Reavis)

Noam Chomsky proposes a couple of alternatives to capitalism.   What are they?   Articulate all of the alternatives and explain why they are not mainstream alternatives today.   What does Chomsky say about their disappearance as main steam ideas — why did they disappear?   What do you think about his proposed alternatives?

 

In this video, alternatives to capitalism proposed by Noam Chomsky are self management of enterprise and democratic control of institutions.

These ideas are not mainstream today because, according to Noam, “they conflict with the current power systems.” By this statement, Noam means that the current private owners of enterprise have much to lose if either of these capitalism alternatives were implemented.

Chomsky states that the disappearance of these ideas as main stream is due to the fact that the ideas have been “beaten out of people’s heads by massive propaganda.” He continues to say that, because the ideas “conflict with the current power systems,” that the “education and cultural system tries to drive them out of your minds and to make them seem insane or crazy or unthinkable.”

I think that the two alternatives proposed by Noam are at the same time much alike and much different. While both alternative challenge the status quo by threatening to redistribute the wealth of the nation, each alternative does it in a very different way. I believe that capitalism breeds innovation and, as an engineer, innovation is something I will stand for. Self managed enterprise keeps wealth in the hands of a nation’s citizens and stays close enough to the ideas of capitalism to make me consider it as a viable option; however, federally managed capitalism (or state ownership) is quite literally the definition of communism.

Shepard M12

Noam Chomsky – Why Marijuana is Illegal and Tobacco is Legal

I agree with Noam when he mentions the reason that Marijuana is illegal ( in some states) and tobacco is legal, is that because marijuana can be grown anywhere with relatively little cost to the producer. Although states are now taxing the product where it is legal, so they are getting their cut from wholesale producers, individuals can now grow their own if they so choose. It seems to me, had the government realized how much tax revenue would be generated from marijuana legalization, states would have adopted legalization laws much sooner.

Tobacco is far more harmful, but because big tobacco companies have been using their resources to ensure it remains on the market, no laws have went into place to prevent it’s sale.

M12-Newton

The video I decided to comment on was the one titled: Workplace Issues. After watching the short video with Dr. Bruce Weinstein there were a few things that he mentioned that really stood out to me as interesting as well as useful as I had never given these situations to much thought.

He goes on to talk about how everyone has these so called red flags in their past. He says it’s important to realize that these will come out up eventually in association with jobs, whether it is during the interview or any time after you’ve been hired. It really stuck with me when he said that he video tapes himself before every interview, speech or any other public speaking event. He reviews these videos to critique himself and to hear what he is saying and try to perceive it from the other parties points of view to see if he’s getting across the points he wants to.

What I would add on to that would be, going into any job interview, expect for them to ask about previous firings, any red flags that have come up in your past. Before going into the interview, video tape yourself answering these hard questions and then review them and keep practicing them so you feel comfortable with the answer you are going to give. This isn’t to say that you should lie, it is more to be prepared for the hard questions because if they are thrown on you without expecting it in the middle of an interview, you may say something you end up regretting solely based on the fact that you weren’t prepared.

Class discussion – (Video) – M12 – rahuntleyjr

Ethical Dilemmas in The Workplace: The Ethics Guy on ABC News

I chose this video to comment on because I have been in the same situation as the first person questioned that did not bring in enough wedding business, or volume. The only difference ( a big one at that ) was me being an aircraft mechanic who got fired for lack of production. This was at a corporate airplane business. I went to Michigan’s Unemployment office and the lady who took my case stated on my form that “quantity” when it comes to aircraft safety, is not a valid reason to fire an individual. Case closed and full unemployment benefits for the maximum number of weeks allowed which I believe was 26 weeks or 6 months. Either way, what a blessing. Back then, I had three small children that depended on “dear old dad” so the pressure was on to receive something until I could get hired somewhere else.

Truthfulness paid off in a huge way by my hiring within those 26 weeks of benefits at an Air Force Reserve Base in Milwaukee, Wisconsin as a ( wait for it ) aircraft mechanic. The guy that interviewed me asked me the reason for leaving my previous employer, and I was forthright and honest with him. Honesty equaled permanent employment from that day forward until my disability retirement from the Federal Government two years ago at the age of 51. Even today, look how the aircraft world is “pushing” these planes out the door to just make their revenue and quotas. Meanwhile, there could be “hidden” defects that in time could end up causing more crashes and ruining peoples lives for the “almighty dollar” versus quality and safety.

In my situation, I guess I could possibly have been a whistleblower back then. I do know that the larger hanger that the company had, ended up becoming a much smaller one. True story, one of our tenants back then was Mr. Bob Seger, as in the singer. We had several other “high-profile” individuals that hangered their planes there as well as maintenance. These “short cuts” cost them many all mighty dollars of business, I am sure of it. I am just extremely grateful that my fellow co-workers I left behind were competent and applied their training professionally, as I did. I just wasn’t “one of the guys” in the click that my former boss established, and knowing what I know now, I am glad I wasn’t.