If a neo-nazi invites me to his house for a fund raising dinner (okay–BBQ), and I choose not to accept the invitation, does that mean I am closed-minded and disrespectful?
Is is ever okay for a person to object to something on moral/ethical grounds?
Is a person ever justified in demonstrating that objection by the shudder radical tactic of not giving direct support to the thing he finds objectionable?
David, you can talk all you want, but more people are able to hear if you speak into a microphone. The UPI, if they hire you, are giving you that microphone. And you should weigh that when making your decision.
Spiritus, it’s a Schindler’s list kind of scenario. Does the upside (saving innocent Jews) outweigh the moral downside (dealing with Nazis)? In this case, David has to weigh the upside (job security, a venue to air his work, pay) with the moral downside (working with Moonies).
Schindler did not begin his efforts to save Jews. He began as a war profiteer. If we believe the movie is accurate (I never read the book), once he came to his moral awakening he went to great lengths to make sure the product of his factories did not benefit the nazis. Unless you are advocating that DavidB not work honestly in his new position or turn in substandard work product it seems you are missing the key element of the dilemna.
I am pleased, though, that you seem to have moved past criticizing any position based upon a moral judgment as closed minded and disrespectful.
Also, while I like DavidB, appreciate his work and am certain that there would be some general benefit to having his keen intelligence available to a broader spectrum, I think it is clear in this case that the primary beneficiary of this particular “moral compromise” would be DavidB himself. Dealing with the devil to save innocent lives is a slightly different proposition than working for the devil to gain personal benefit, don’t you think?
Yes, it is sometimes necessary to compromise one moral position in the light of other moral (or practical) imperatives. It does not follow that al moral positions should be compromised.
Dave, you vote with your time, energy and self. Act accordingly.
My question would be how much working for UPI would help your career. I’m unfamiliar with its current status, so I have little basis for comparison. UPI is a national forum, true, but I can’t recall the last time I’ve seen a UPI story in my local newspapers. Usually, they’re AP or Knight-Ridder (this may reflect more on the local newspapers than UPI). I know that you place a lot of personal stock in your skepticism, and I gather that you also place a lot of professional stock in it as well. Down the road, will it be a help to have UPI on your résumé, or might it turn out to be a liability when you want to wax vitriolic about soft-headed cultishness? Depending on how you justify your decision, it might compromise your ability to take a moral stand, to have worked, even indirectly, for the Moonies. These questions are less rhetorical than they seem, since I don’t know what your thoughts are on the cost-benefit aspect of your decision.
Crap. “Its” in the second sentence above refers to your career, not UPI.
1st, a query: where the hell did those 'folk" get enuf money to buy out so much of the American media, and why is this not a story on 20/20? I suppose their aims are to control the media, and get favorable press, as opposed to just an investment.
And, having said that- nope, David, don’t do it*. There are a lot of jobs, and if you doubt yourself, or your bosses motives, you can only lose. Hey, why not try the Chicago paper- you might have an “in”. 
*unless its that or starve, of course.
If you only accepted work from people of fine moral character, you’d starve to death.
David,
We use products and services all the time without knowing the causes that we are inadvertently funding.
one question. Do the Moonies use UPI (or the division of UPI, you have been offered to work for) to directly pass their message?
It won’t be like “The David B Column, sponsored by MassWeddings.com”, would it?
best of luck with your Decision.
My 2cents:
I don’t know how hard freelance jobs are to get, so this comparison may not be fair. I’m a Systems Admin, and there are jobs galore out there, which gives me the luxury of choosing.
That said, your dilemma depends on your circumstance. You must take care of yourself first, meaning: If it puts food on your table and you need the cash, take the job. No matter what it is or who it’s for. You do what you have to do.
If you’re in a position to be a bit pickier, do not take it. I personally don’t care about the Moonies, but if it were an organization I find morally repugnant (like the Pupppy Kickers of America) I would not take the job unless I were starving. I would not allow them to benefit from my skills, be it writing or fixing their PCs. I would instead offer my skills to an organization I feel good about supporting.
So there’s my opinion/advice. Good luck with your decision!
Zette
The religious beliefs of the owners of the company is moot, no matter how repugnant you find them. As long as they do not force their religious beleifs into the workplace (as I believe the moonies are careful not to,) then you really have no cause to consider it as an issue.
Consider the opposite. Would they refuse to hire you because you are an atheist? Wouldn’t that be discriminatory and unfair?
Refusing to work for a company because of its relgious affiliation might not be the moral high road.
You of course have the right to do as you wish.
What do I know? I like Bush.
From UPI you can go anywhere you want. You are aware of the owners so you are prepared for any subtle input from them. Don’t be silly try out for it, learn the process of their huge involvement in the media and you can go anywhere from there. No one is asking you to compromise your principles…
This is a good question!
I like what goboy said:
‘Take the job. The Unification church is a weird organization, but you’re not going to be working for them directly, you won’t be proselytizing for them, and you need the money. It’s impossible to lead a 100% squeaky clean life with no moral ambiguities.’
I work for a private school, where most of the income comes from wealthy, privileged right-wing families.
I read a left-wing newspaper (by American standards anyway 
), am a Republican* etc. but no-one has ever tried to gag me, or insist I peddle propaganda.
If they do, I’ll look for another job - and I expect David will too.
Also I try really hard to educate the pupils fairly. Give both sides of the case, say when things are my personal opinion etc.
*that’s not having a Monarchy, of course. To show how extreme that particular view is:
The Queen visited my School a few years back, and planted a tree (aaaah!). The spade she used is kept ON DISPLAY. :rolleyes:
What is it specifically about the Moonies that you find so morally repugnant?
David,
You are probably aware that by going to work for UPI you would be knowingly contributing to the Moonies through your work. How would that fit within your own personal system of ethics?
How much value do you put on your own moral and ethical beliefs and is there an amount of money that would cause to you compromise?
zen - there are people out there who will not adjust their own moral beliefs or compromise their ethics for any amount of money. They are to be admired.
I think I found my new SIG line…
“The fact that man knows right from wrong proves his intellectual superiority to the other creatures; but the fact that he can do wrong proves his moral inferiority to any creature that cannot” (Mark Twain).
I have to agree…if you find contributing to the Unification Church, even indirectly, assaults your own personal code then you may not even be able to perform your job successfully. Which then just might end up violating more than one of your ethics.
There have been several times in my life that I have not gone with my “gut”. I have violated something basic, something that I felt strongly about or was a matter of character or pride. It has never worked out well. Not only did something embarassing or disasterous result from my violation of ethics, but the guilt alone would nag me for years. (No I’m not Catholic or Jewish.)
I say that if you have a problem reconciling yourself to this decision then you very likely will never be able to fully accept something that goes against your own “personal code”. And thank goodness you have one!
Needs2know
Have you consulted your Ouija board?
David, is the organization you work for now morally superior (or at least less objectionable)? Several posters have already said that almost any company or person you work for will have qualities you don’t like, but what can you do? If this is truly an organization that stands for everything you are against then by all means stay out.
I believe that you should stay out not only to keep them from profiting from your work, but also you should not be prifiting from a relationship with such an organization if you believe they are evil.
OTOH, if it is ‘disagreement’ more than ‘hatred’, well, you are bound to have some disagreement with almost anyone…
Good Luck
I would think that it is a matter of degree. How repugnant do you find them?
If instead of the Moonies, UPI was owned by the KKK or the Nazi party, I personally wouldn’t want to work for them. On the other hand, if UPI was owned by Donald Trump, while I’m not one of his fans, I wouldn’t be bothered by it too much.
On the other hand, I know some people quit working at the Chicago Sun-Times when it was purchased by Rupert Murdoch because they didn’t want to work for him.
Your call, David B.