Ethics Part 2

Anyway, this other guy - plain old Spy Plus - is more of a short term outside contracted independent, at the institute - meaning no job security, 6 month renewable contract, works all the hours god sends - and god was still there before slavery was abolished remember? so a deity like that can fill your 24/7 existance with another couple of hours overtime and still sit down for breakfast with a clear conscience. (thunder) yawn...What's for breakfast this morning dear? Muslei and fruit Again? Its not my fault you didn't give up anything for lent this year I gave up slavery Yes dear but you told the Benedict's that slavery didn't count because you gave humanity free will...(clatter of plates) Oh yeah...What's that got to do with breakfast? Just keeping your *** up dear, you never know when you might want to create another universe, and you know how that takes it out of you That's why I need some decent food! We're all slaves to desire dear, now off you go, you're golfing with Jesus today aren't you? Am I? Golf -that's all the boy ever does these days. you know, I'm not sure killing him was such a good idea after all- Now now, you should give him a chance, I know he's still living at home, but its only been a few thousand years, he's a very sensitive boy, and I don't think it's a good idea to rush him, (footsepts on stairs) That's him coming again now, here you go, I've made you some couscous and salad for lunch I think I'll just cancel Lent next year... (Hey pops! Peace be with and all that, yeah? Been watching the masters, innit? bit of cloud tday 'n 'at on the back nine so I thought I'd give old nick a call yeah? book a tee on the Limbo courseor somat?, you aww-ight playing foursome with Uncle Nick and my mate Judas, yeah? Oh, Jesus, Alright, as long as we don't have to pick them up, I don't like parking my chariot in their neighbourhood, (thunder) Bringing it all back home, there's times when you can get away with being frivilous, and hanging out, and other times when you are expected to take sides, to make a decision, to exercise your moral right, your ethical opinion and its a daunting task. But without the dirt, its very hard to do any digging... So it was my round back in the Pub, and I brought the pints to the table, one for Mr stuum, the union rep and one for the unaligned co worker who was revelling in the chance to gossip as a kind of replacement perk for job security. As for Bob, well Complaints there were a few, because he had done it his way, and it was his way that had caused the ruckus. His way was the wrong way down a one way street, and you only get away with that in fantastical films about doomsday, where the police or the army, basically any highly subsidized military arm of the state count for less than nothing more than cannon fodder in uniform. Think Xmen, War of the Worlds, James Bond, Batman, Fatman, Rambo ***, bambi nambi pambi, Transformers, Tron, 2001, 2010, 1984, 1942, Blade Runner, Star Wars, Indiana Jones, and the case of the overloaded cash register - the list is endless. You just know their faceless extras days as uniformed crash test dummies are numbered as soon as their flashing blue lights skid to a halt and somebody with a loud hailer starts shouting "come out with your hands up". (sirens wailing) Which is part of the illusion of film. Cinema is more than an illusion of rapidly changing still pictures passing before your eyes - the great illusion of film is that one or two cigar chomping psycopaths can take on the resources of the entire planet throwing our civilization as we know it onto the scrapheap of sequels and tv spin offs, and computer game tie- ins. In short, threatening the existence of life as we know it... along with that of the armed to the teeth fortresses of the military industrial complex that currently hold entire national governments to ransom. Yes, only in the fantasy world of film and game culture can these immovable objects of the world's military, these long arms of the law that can bend society's ethical judgements to suite their will, only in the world of entertainment are these physical elements of state control portrayed as nothing more than silent extras in an Austin Powers movie. The movies make it look like super villians, - sociopaths who live outside ethical boundaries or considerations are determined to depose the established states and structures of the modern world. in fact, historically, those super rich super villians are themselves the establishment for whom we, the people, are the real cannon fodder, while the police and military arms of governments around the shrinking planet are unlimited resources that those super villanous cigar chomping psycopaths can call upon at anytime to secure their right to trade and profit from things like: oil, water, ***, slavery, sugar, lobbying and toppling governments where necessary, often at the ethical expense of our free society's supposedly restless desire for truth liberty and justice. (yawn) Im telling you , don't get me started! > Anyway, with the pints loosening the lips, my outside insider came back with some Spy Plus knowledge, how there was a big settlement in the kickoff, how it was all just a matter of time and even while listening, I wondered to myself at the detached sense of satisfaction I had in not having to give a toss what happened really, while the gossip mill spun like a sweet-toothed hamster burning off a sugar high in a squeaky treadmill. So I was all ears. What had he done? ***, ***. ***? Kidnapping? Boiled some students alive and sold their thesis on the internet to stuggling undergrads? Taken too many sickies? What? But no, the information was still incomplete, the old versions of the file have been deleted, there was only two sides of an A4 sheet to go on, and the budget projections looked like they had been drawn up on the back of a crisp packet - which if you've ever tried it is actually, quite hard to write on, with biro anyway, unless you've go a marker, and not just an ordinary one, you need a permanent like you would use to write your name on the elastic waist band of your underwear? (snap)(woo hoo!) end recording part 1 So I was getting nowhere, and had bought a round of drinks to boot! Wasting time and money, which was when I thought, I should go to the horses mouth, the source, I will just ask Bob, I will put all my reservations about people finding out that I spoke with him, that I ever knew him, behind me because I kow that ethically, as the search for truth should be foremost so I diplomatically planned out how I would approach the accused: first I would ask him WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON! Thinking I should just go in hard, you know? WHAT THE HELL TO DO YOU THINK YOU'RE PLAYING AT? WHAT HAVE YOU DONE? Sympathy is a sign of weakness, see? Then I got into that mafia style thing, Bobby bbby bobby whatamIgonnadowitU, huh? Whats the bucking problem? you lookin at me? you lookin at me? Ahh, fuggedaboudit (gun shots) What are people like? Then I thought, Maybe I could knock up a quick confessional in the garden and invite him round - Bob's Irish decscent, he'll go for that, impropriety of priests notwithstanding, - a portable confession booth, he can come right in, know that I've taken a vow of silence, confess his sins, three hail whatsits, a rosary ring, whatever I mean, I'm not going try to crucify him! That's not ethical, No, I would be the consumate interregator, no problem Bob, take as long as you like, can I get you anything? No, sorry I can't remove the rope or the tape around your mouth, say would you like to watch a movie? Yeah, here's one I like its called 'How to get the most out of your waterboarding technique" Huh, no? well oh how about this one Making Sleep deprivation work for you'? No, oh here's a family one, Threatening to torture relatives and friends... gee Bob, you don't look to good, would you like to go back to you cell for a few weeks? The point is, that no matter what I might want to try to do, As much as I want to help him. Its actually me I'm wanting to help, me that wants to know, me even hopes for failure more than success, and that is no comfort, its disquieting and means I can't completely trust myself to do the right thing at any given time. So what I need to remember is that I have to try to take myself out of the equation. To even get close to being ethical, I have to try to imagine not being me. Even if that means imagining that I am Bob. to consider the ethics of being ethical, I have to put myself in someone elses shoes, because from where I'm standing, I can only hope that someone else would do the same if they were to put themselves in mine. At which point they could easily find themselves saying: My name is Mac Dunlop, and thanks for listening. Bye for now...