Here’s a question: Is your work ethical? I’ll give you an example. I am contemplating copywriting as a way to add to my writing bouquet. OK, for the sake of being honest, I will scrape that off and say it as it is. Copywriting pays well. If it’s done well of course. But you see, I have this big dilemma. (If it’s out of sheer ignorance then this would be a learning opportunity, we could never have enough of those.) So here it is, my big dilemma is about the ethical side of copywriting. I am slightly alarmed about consumerism. Been so for a while now. I buy what i need when I need it. With the exception of my racing bike which I could argue that it is a useful item, but of course it’s debatable. But I digress. Copywriting. If it’s marketing related then it encourages consumerism. Big time. Sure bills have to be paid, but do I throw ethics out the window and do it anyway? If I don’t and make a tiny ripple in the ethics-and-work pond, will it last to be seen by someone or will it just die too soon?
Is your work ethical? If yes, you’re lucky. If no, then do you do it anyway because you need to feed yourself and your family? How subjective can you get before it becomes a matter of principle – personal, that is – rather than just ethics? Is it just a matter of principle to begin with just rooted in ethics but with a strong personal dilemma?
So you’ll say how far can you take the issue until you’re tiring yourself and others out? Well, knowing myself, far enough. If I choose to bend my standards on consumerism for the sake of the aforementioned need to feed myself and my dependents, then am I not supposed to look further into the real ethics behind the actual business? Is it a fair one, fair wages, no child labor, no environmental exploitation, etc? See? It’s a tangled one.
Please feel free to share your thoughts. There is much to learn on the matter. I have barely scratched the surface. Agree?