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Rough draft -- Definition Paper 01.30.11 (I'm finally posting it due to illness/not getting on facebook soon enough)

//The Most Subjective Word in America // "﻿Ethical." A word tossed around in American society like pizza dough at Papa John's. But what exactly does it mean to be ethical? Mirriam-Webster defines "ethical" as "of or relating to ethics; involving or expressing moral approval or disapproval; conforming to accepted standards of conduct." But how is "ethical" applied in everyday life? In what ways do average Americans use it? Hunter Wesenberg, 19, a student at Grandview University feels that to be etical is to be "morally right," elaborating that, "keeping a promis is ethical because it is morally right; it is fair to everyone," which fits perfectly with one of the dictionary definitions. Sarah Albracht, 38, a Pioneer Total Rewards team member has a slightly different conception of what being ethical comprises of, explaining that "ethics are societal codes of right and wrong as opposed to morals, which are personal codes of right and wrong," clarifying, "in your job, a customer might want to take you out to lunch. Morally, it's okay because you're not accepting a bribe, but it's unethical behavior because your workplace might not approve. Dave Harrison, 24, a recent ISU graduate, concurs with Sarah's definition, stating simply, "to be ethical is to follow society's rules and code of conduct," both of these definitions share similarities with another Merriam-Webster definition for "ethical."  What does it mean to be ethical? Based on the six definitions above, being ethical clearly has something to do with morals, but the rest is subjective. Perhaps that is the reason why "ethical" ist tossed around in American society the way it is.
 * revised "ethical" paper**

Ethical." A word tossed around in American society like pizza dough at Papa John's. But what exactly causes something or someone to posess ethical characteristics? Mirriam-Webster defines "ethical" as "of or relating to ethics; involving or expressing moral approval or disapproval; conforming to accepted standards of conduct." But how do people apply the term "ethical" in everyday life? In what ways do average Americans use it?

Hunter Wesenberg, 19, a student at Grandview University believes that to be ethical is to be "morally right," elaborating that, "keeping a promis is ethical because it is morally right; it is fair to everyone," which fits well with one of the dictionary definitions.

Sarah Albracht, 38, a Pioneer Total Rewards team member views the term "ethical" in a slightly different light, explaining that "ethics are societal codes of right and wrong as opposed to morals, which are personal codes of right and wrong," elaborating, "in your job, a customer might want to take you out to lunch. Morally, it's okay because you're not accepting a bribe, but it's unethical behavior because your workplace might not approve."

Dave Harrison, 24, a recent ISU graduate, concurs with Sarah's definition, stating simply, "To be ethical is to follow society's rules and code of conduct," both of these definitions share similarities with another Merriam-Webster definition for "ethical."

What does it mean to be ethical? Based on the six definitions above, being ethical clearly has something to do with morals, but the rest is subjective. Perhaps the definition evolves with age, as the youngest interviewee had the simplest definition and the older two provided at least slightly more elaborate definitions of "ethical." Maybe this word is tossed around in society the way it is because it can be contorted to provide many different connotations.

Ethical." A word tossed around in American society like pizza dough at Papa John's. The seemingly innocuous word manifests itself on television the Internet. newspapers. and even in the name of one of the most controversial interest groups of the past thirty years, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA). While PETA's membership has grown exponentially since its 1980 founding, their radical tactics and often deceptive facts and figures cause many to question the validity of their name and believe it was chosen solely because it sounds satisfying. What exactly causes something or someone to posess ethical characteristics?
 * I have yet to take the weak verbs out of what I added but plan on it

Hunter Wesenberg, 19, a student at Grandview University believes that to be ethical is to be "morally right," elaborating that, "keeping a promise and not stealing are ethical because they are morally right; they are fair to everyone."

Sarah Albracht, 38, a Pioneer Total Rewards team member views the term "ethical" in a slightly different and more evolved light, explaining that "ethics are societal codes of right and wrong, as opposed to morals, which are personal codes of right and wrong," and even expands upon her previous statement by clarifying, "in your job, a customer might want to take you out to lunch. Morally, it's okay because you're not accepting a bribe, but it's unethical behavior because your workplace might not approve," noting, "ethics are subjective and vary from person to person." Dave Harrison, 24, a recent ISU graduate, concurs with Sarah's definition, stating simply, "To be ethical is to follow society's rules and code of conduct,"

What does "ethical" mean? Based on the definitions above, the definition of ethical is objective and clearly relates to morals and societal acceptence. Perhaps the definition evolves with age, as the youngest interviewee provided the simplest explanation and the older two provided at least slightly more elaborate definitions of "ethical." Maybe People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals is a misnomer, but maybe it is brilliant, as ethics vary from person to person.

“Ethical." A word tossed around in American society like pizza dough at Papa John's. Like many Americans, I first heard this word early on in my childhood, before it manifested itself as concept with any real weight in my mind. I saw it everywhere: newspapers, television, Internet blogs, and, of course, the most obvious place of all, in the name of one of the most controversial interest groups of the past thirty years, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA). For a group with the word “ethical” in their name, PETA employ a strange amount of radical tactics, from assaulting celebrities with red paint to tofu cream pie-ing Calvin Klein in the face to depicting nude or scantily clad women on billboards, it seems that there is little PETA will not do for attention and that little of what they do for attention would be described by most as “ethical” (although, to be fair, PETA talks about treating // animals // ethically, not people), which is why many people come to the conclusion that PETA are at least slightly hypocritical for insisting that animals be treated as well as people and then treating people with less dignity than that with which most of society chooses to treat animals. This caused me to wonder: what exactly does it mean for a person or group of people to be ethical? How does society view this ubiquitous term? Could any of their members be likened to the // “F***ng big-a** hypocrite” Penn Jilette of Showtime’s hit series, Penn and Teller: Bull****! //once described PETA’s president and co-founder, Ingrid Newkirk as? I decided to ask around.
 * not done yet

Hunter Wesenberg, 19, a student at Grandview University believes that to be ethical is to be "morally right," elaborating that, "keeping a promise and not stealing are ethical because they are morally right; they are fair to everyone." Sarah Albracht, 38, a Pioneer Total Rewards team member views the term "ethical" in a slightly different and more evolved light, explaining that "ethics are societal codes of right and wrong, as opposed to morals, which are personal codes of right and wrong," and even expands upon her previous statement by clarifying, "in your job, a customer might want to take you out to lunch. Morally, it's okay because you're not accepting a bribe, but it's unethical behavior because your workplace might not approve," noting, "ethics are subjective and vary from person to person." Dave Harrison, 24, a recent ISU graduate, concurs with Sarah's definition, stating simply, "To be ethical is to follow society's rules and code of conduct," Sarah is right. Ethics // are //subjective. Some Americans // do // applaud PETA’s actions. Otherwise, PETA would be too small of a fringe element to influence society the way it does. Still, just as many blogs that criticize PETA exist as those that do not. What happens if PETA’S actions are viewed through the logic created from the definitions of “ethical” that three Average Joes provided me with? Throwing red paint at // Sex and the City // star Kim Cattrall while she wore a white fur coat would definitely qualify as unethical by these definitions, as would tofu cream pie-ing Calvin Klein and advertising with scantily clad women on billboards, since these things do not fit into the morals of all parts of society. If they did, no scandals would result them. Ruining and expensive coat was unfair to Kim since it ruined her outfit and unfair to the people who cleaned up the mess, as assaulting someone with paint accomplishes nothing. And what about the designer who let her borrow the coat? That’s like letting a friend borrow a blouse and she returns it covered in ketchup stains. Is America not a society in which people are taught to treat others how they would like to be treated?  Calvin Klein fell victim to unethical behavior as his outfit, too, found itself in a state of ruin and his drycleaner surely almost fell into cardiac arrest after seeing the tofu cream pie stain on such an expensive blazer. Plus, he and Cattrall both fell victim to assault, something // definitely // considered unethical by most of society since it is illegal. Americans are a people who do not appreciate anyone throwing anything at anyone out of the context of a baseball game or // The Jerry Springer Show, //be it a rock, a pie, or a can of paint.  The billboards are most unethical of anything PETA does since they eliminate freedom of choice, something valued here in the land of capitalism, cable packages featuring upwards of four-hundred channels, and restaurants that proclaim “Have it Your Way!” (parents protecting kids from images)

What does "ethical" mean? Based on the definitions above, the definition of ethical is objective and clearly relates to morals and societal acceptence. Perhaps the definition evolves with age, as the youngest interviewee provided the simplest explanation and the older two provided at least slightly more elaborate definitions of "ethical." Maybe People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals is a misnomer, but maybe it is brilliant, as ethics vary from person to person.