Ethics and Current Events
In “On Diverse Force, Blacks Still Face Special Peril,” author Michael Powell (2009) reveals the connection between race and the threats of fraternal shooting among police officers. Most often, policemen belonging to minority groups as well as those who are African-Americans become unsuspecting victims of police shooting. The author contends that workforces having diverse racial backgrounds are prone to putting minorities and blacks in grave danger due to the racial assumptions of colleagues although there are no primary intentions to inflict harm to these groups of people.
The issue raised involves several ethical considerations, chief of which is the consideration for the inviolable human right to life. Immanuel Kant once proposed that every human being should be treated not as means to an end but rather as an end in itself. Every human action should be aligned with the principle of respect towards other people and, therefore, it is highly unethical and immoral to cause harm to others. Despite the fact that the shooting incidents involving police officers are not crimes arising from deliberate attempts to murder, it nevertheless shows yet another dark side to the problem.
Racial stereotyping is seen as the primary factor that pushes others to make hasty conclusions about minorities. Although the incidents discussed in the article are the results of pure speculation and not of real hatred towards other races, the incidents still highlight the idea that there remains an underlying fear towards minorities, which is why the police officers involved in the cases have pulled their triggers, so to speak, in an attempt to preempt the possibility of these minorities turning against the law.
Had it been the case that every police officer and every person in general treats others with respect as deserving human beings, there would have been no cases of fraternal shootings and other crimes. The ethical consideration for the innate human right to life is a principle that allows people regardless of racial background to live secure lives. In the article of Julian E. Barnes (2009), the United States and its allies in the Asian region are reported to take tougher measures against North Korea after the latter made a series of tests for military weapons including nuclear missiles capable of traveling across huge distances.
The military efforts of North Korea are seen as potentially harmful to other countries especially the neighboring nations. In fact, North Korea has been in mutual disagreement with South Korea for the past several decades apart from the United States and some of its allies. North Korea’s nuclear testing and continued production of weapons of mass destruction can certainly put countless of lives at risk.
The ethical principles of utilitarianism center around the idea that the moral worth of an action is based on whether or not the action provides the greatest benefit for the greatest number. Conversely, an action is considered immoral if it causes harm or suffering to more people than the benefits it intends to produce. Under the leadership of Kim Jong-Il, North Korea’s efforts to continue with its unwarranted display of military power can undoubtedly place thousands if not millions of lives in grave danger.
The fact that South Korea is located just below North Korea suggests that the possibility of North Korea launching a missile assault on its rival neighbor can kill countless lives and displace thousands of people from their homes, all of which are parts of the utilitarian concepts of “suffering” and “pain”. Although North Korea still has not declared a full-scale war against South Korea, its series of nuclear tests are already causing harmful effects to the international community. That being said, North Korea’s nuclear tests are unethical when viewed from the utilitarian perspective.
The nuclear tests may bolster the pride of its North Korean residents but it also elevates international tension and hostilities to more dangerous levels, thereby negatively affecting the lives of millions from around the world. References Barnes, J. E. (2009). U. S. , Asian allies gear up for tougher stance toward N. Korea. Retrieved May 31, 2009, from http://www. latimes. com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-us-korea31-2009may31,0,4603747. story Powell, M. (2009). On Diverse Force, Blacks Still Face Special Peril. Retrieved May 31, 2009, from http://www. nytimes. com/2009/05/31/nyregion/31friendly. html? _r=1&hp
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