Hollywood Property Values

Hollywood Property Values

                In this article, titled “Hollywood Property Values”, in The Ethicist section of the New York Times Sunday Magazine, author Randy Cohen is asked a question pertaining to whether or not Mark Zuckerberg, creator of Facebook, steal the idea of Facebook from someone else. Cohen launches into a tirade about how copyright laws subdue creativity and innovation. He makes an analogy about how Eric Clapton might play a riff in his solo that is taken straight out of a Muddy Waters song, but that’s not copyright infringement, its expanding and creating something great. Cohen asserts that if Muddy Waters were to act like a movie studio, Clapton would be “crushed” under the weight of copyright law.

                I totally agree with Cohen here. Almost all music today is derived straight from the blues and it can all be traced back. What makes music so unique is that since there really are no strict copyright laws, it is free to evolve and new sounds are able to arise and thrive. If stingy copyright laws were lifted from movies and other things, maybe there would be more creativity in the industry, rather than seeing the same crap being churned out year by year. The original copyright law was made so that the originators had 14 years to make a profit from their idea, and after that it was free to be used and to create new ideas.

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What Really Causes Runner’s High?

What Really Causes Runner’s High?

                In an article titled “What Really Causes Runner’s High?” by Gretchen Reynolds in the New York Times Sunday Magazine, the common thought that endorphins cause the euphoric feeling after a good workout is put to the test and ultimately fails. This article explains that it is not endorphins that cause this high, but rather our endocannabinoid system. Reynolds continues to explain that if given the correct stimuli, our body can actually create its own cannabinoids. These give the same effect as if you were to smoke marijuana. This might be why we enjoy exercising so much. Although it is not conclusive that naturally produced cannabinoids are the sole reason for runner’s high, they definitely play a big role.

                Although I do not find this information particularly important, it is quite fascinating knowing that our bodies actually created this endocannabinoid system. Working out feels great, but a lot of people don’t know the chemistry behind it. I found this article to be very informative and engaging. It also states that a good cannabinoid system is needed in order to have good cognitive abilities. Really interesting stuff.

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Outsourcing

Outsourcing

               

In the New York Times Sunday Magazine’s “The Ethicist” section, the article “Doing the Outsourcing” written by Randy Cohen, a man writes in explaining that he’s been out of work for 9 months but was just offered a job in setting up an offshore help desk. However, he feels it is unethical to help a company outsource after his own father’s job was outsourced. Cohen answers by telling the man that it is not unethical for an ambitious person searching for work to take a job that outsources, as long as the foreign workers are being treated fairly. He says he understands loyalty to co-workers and family, so Cohen doesn’t urge the man to take the job, but rather tells him it would not be unethical, but says do what you want to do. The man doesn’t take the job.

                I both agree and disagree with Cohen on this matter. On the one hand, I can see how a person would take any job these days just to feed his family. On the other hand, I don’t think it’s necessary to take away another man’s job that is in the same position as yourself. Cohen describes this feeling as “tribalism”, warning the man to avoid it because of it’s attendant ills. I would argue that tribalism is already inherent whether the man likes it or not. If the man took the job, he would be scolded by his family and possibly by friends. He can’t explain to them why it’s still ethical, because they are blinded by their feelings of being betrayed. In the end, I feel that it is a good thing that the man didn’t take the job. Something better and more comfortable will come along.

The (un)reliability of Medical Information Sites

The (un)reliability of Medical Information Sites

                “A Prescription for Fear”, an article written by Virginia Heffernan in the New York Times Sunday Magazine explains how WebMD is a potentially dangerous website to go to for checking out one’s own symptoms and argues that a new website called “Mayo Clinic Health” is a much more reliable and trustworthy self- diagnosis center. She explains that WebMD has ties with pharmaceutical companies and has information that will lead to people relying on drugs for their relief. WebMD has monopolized the medical website sector and in the process, have made over $500 million in 2010. Heffernan goes on to show the different search results you get in Mayo Clinic and WebMD. It’s surprising to see that when the word, “headache” is entered into the search engine; WebMD comes up with information about migraines, and pictures of people in pain, and the drug solution. A very frightening page, used to stress people out. However, Mayo Clinic’s site will give you “tension headache” and does not display photos or hype. Once you hit the 8^th page, that’s when Mayo tells you about over the counter analgesics.

                I think it’s terrible that there are so many prescription drugs in America today. There are drugs that are for sicknesses we’ve never even heard of, and that probably aren’t even needed. One of the things that has always amused me are drug advertisements that say, “ask your doctor about…” and I’m glad Heffernan mentioned that in this article. Your doctor is supposed to tell you what drugs to take, not vice versa. If you’re telling the doctor what drugs you want, your doctor is just a drug dealer. I won’t lie, I’ve used WebMD before to see what sickness I had. And the only thing I got from it was fear. The things it tells you are not realistic, they are meant as scare tactics so they can control you and push you towards a certain drug. This article was great, very informative, and Mayo’s clinic will be replacing WebMD on my “Bookmarks” page.


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Swiping Supplies

Swiping Supplies

                                An article in the New York Times Magazine titled “Swiping Supplies” by Randy Cohen discusses under what circumstances is it ethical to steal items from the workplace. A man wrote a letter explaining that he was a nurse, and his aunt called him at work saying she was extremely ill and needed an ambulance. Rather than calling her one, he took about $50 worth of medical supplies and treated her at her home. Was this ethical? Cohen seems to be on the fence about the situation, explaining that he understands the pressure the man felt, but at the same time a home is not a good place to perform a diagnosis and treat. On the other hand, he saved thousands of medical bills by not taking her to the E.R. After a tough deliberation,  Cohen’s verdict was that the action was unethical.

                As for myself, I can really understand why this person felt the need to take matters into their own hands. He is a trained professional, and he treated her successfully while saving thousands of dollars to the taxpayers and his aunt at the same time. A measly $50 worth of medical supplies were stolen, but they would have been used on the woman in the hospital anyway, so they hardly went to waste and they would not be missed. What it really comes down to is not whether or not it is ethical to take supplies from work, but rather is it ethical to treat a relative at home? There is no black and white when it comes to morality and ethics. Morality is subjective; meaning what’s moral for one may not be for another. It just depends on the situation. I would not condemn this man’s actions.

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No More Mrs. Nice Mom

No More Mrs. Nice Mom

Article Written by Judith Warner

                Judith Warner talks about a woman named Amy Chua, a mother, and also a professor at Yale law. Her philosophy in raising children is apparent in her book about being a “Tiger Mom”. A tiger mom is a mom that is extremely harsh on their children and accepts nothing but utter perfection from them. The idea is to have resilient, strong kids that will be very successful later in life. Chua uses the Chinese method of raising kids, in that she stresses respect (especially for family), obedience, and basically forces them to play violin and piano. “They are not allowed to pursue loser activities like playing the drums, ‘which leads to drugs,’ …” (Warner). She also disallows her kids to have sleepovers with their friends, watch TV and play videogames. Controlling? You bet. But that’s the point to the method. It’s reminiscent of 1970’s dad that used to take off his belt when you misbehaved, although the tiger mom method is not as physically violent. Emotional violence, on the other hand seems to be in Chua’s utility belt. “‘I don’t want this,’ Chua says, in one particularly memorable moment, when her 4-year-old daughter, Lulu, gives her a birthday card that, the mother judges, couldn’t have taken ‘more than 20 seconds’ to make. ‘I want a better one — one that you’ve put some thought and effort into. . . . I deserve better than this. So I reject this.’” (Warner).

                I can understand some of the points that this woman makes and I also comprehend her ultimate goal for her children, but I would never raise my kids this way. To me it seems so foreign and absurd to be so controlling over their lives like this. Understandably, I would raise my kids to not depend on TV and videogames for fun, but at the same time I understand that everyone needs free time. And if my kids are being forced to play an instrument for hours per day (one that they very well may hate), I wouldn’t deny them the occasional sleepover with friends. Her statement that playing drums leads to the use of drugs sounds like one of the most ignorant comments I’ve heard in a while. What I think leads to drugs is having overbearing parents that give you no wiggle room and eventually drive you to drugs or possibly even suicide. While I understand some of the points she makes, I have to say, she needs to lighten up.

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Auto(in)correct Response

Auto(in)correct

Article Written by Ben Zimmer

                This article is about the newer generation of smart phones and how their auto correction feature can completely obliterate the meanings that were meant to be conveyed by the person texting. For example, in the article they explain how a girl received a text message from her father reading, “next week your mother and I are going to divorce next month.” In shock, she replied to him and he sent back a message saying, “I wrote ‘Disney,’ and this phone changed it. We are going to Disney.” While it is funny in retrospect, this has happened numerous times to anyone that owns an iphone, some type of droid, or another smart phone that has an auto correcting feature. This has inspired Jillian Madison to start a group called D.Y.A.C (short for Damn You Auto Correct!) in which users submit their auto correct follies and are later posted on the internet. It has become such a big hit that she is publishing a book containing all of the best entries. It is due out in March.

                Personally, I have received some pretty hilarious auto correct mistakes. Nothing as serious as my parents letting me know they’re getting a divorce, but nonetheless they can be pretty funny. I also think it’s comical how people pounce on things like this and are able to make a ton of money off of it. Other sites that I think about when I heard about D.Y.A.C are sites like “FML” and “Texts from last night”. And let’s not forget the most successful one so far, “Sh*t My Dad Says” which started out with a guy posting funny quotes his dad has said on twitter, and it very quickly became a published book and is now also a TV show on CBS starring William Shatner. This site sounds like another great way to kill time and laugh the whole way.

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