The American Spectator

Reader Mail

(Page 6 of 11)

True, anyone "can understand them," yet many don't understand them. Two possible explanations come to mind:

1. They lie. Undoubtedly, there are those who simply lie (in print, in political speeches, in media interviews) to advance a particular viewpoint. Is there really such a thing as a "truth in advertising" law or standard? There couldn't possibly be, given the nonsense that fills the airwaves and newspapers these days.

2. Perhaps they are not as educated as they might appear when they don the mortar board and accept the J-school diploma. Maybe this is a result of the first possibility as well in that they lie (or otherwise cheat) their way through school.

It is illustrative that a number of business schools quickly added a "business ethics" class to their curriculum when the Enron story became public. (It's like Kobe buying his wife a $4,000,000 ring after his philandering is made public.)

Maybe more university curriculums need to strengthen the "ethics" classes, not just in business schools. (Not just in J-schools, either.)

Our society has a serious problem with ethics, as demonstrated by the incidents that you cite in the media, but also by Enron, Kobe, Jayson, virtually every advertisement, especially political ads, "spam" emails. (Does anyone really believe you can "earn" $5000 per week working in your spare time out of your home?)

p>I believe the decline of ethics is in fact "one of the really knotty problems" in our society, and that decline needs to be reversed. Start with J-schools if you want, but don't stop there. br> -- Richard Renken br> Chesterfield, MO /p> p> THERE'S MORE br> Re: Mark Goldblatt's Graying the Issues

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