Get Premium
Dark mode theme is available exclusively for premium users. Learn more about the benefits of subscribing.
No fees, cancel anytime.
Dark Mode 
No fees, cancel anytime 
28submissions
1week left
28 Things People Think Are Unethical But Some Don’t See A Problem With
When you do a certain action, do you ever consider whether it is an ethical thing to do? If yes, how do you decide what is good or bad? After all, we, people, are all different, which means that we likely have somewhat different views on what is moral or immoral.
In today's list, you will find plenty of examples of actions whose morality can be debated. By that, we mean that while some people view these things as the biggest sins, others do not stress over them that much. So, let's dive in, see what these takes are, and let's discuss whether we agree with them or not!
More info: Reddit
Click here & follow us for more lists, facts, and stories.
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
Public health measures like vaccines and fluoride should be mandatory.
Parents should not be allowed to decide if their children get vaccines.
RELATED:
#2
Disagreeing with someone’s cultural practices. Not saying you should make them feel like s**t or actively stop them or whatever, but it’s okay to say “I understand that that’s your culture, but I don’t agree with it and think it’s unethical”
Tradition ≠ immune to critique.
From when we are little, we are taught to be good people and to behave appropriately. But when you think about it, what exactly is a good deed and what is a bad deed? Who decides such things?
This kind of thinking can be referred to as “morality”. In a nutshell, it’s a categorization of intentions, decisions, and actions into those that are proper and improper. These standards can derive from a particular philosophy, religion, culture, or universal social norms.
#5
Kind of a future thing, but any scientific treatments to reduce or eliminate diseases before they can happen, like gene editing. Like, if you could prevent your child from getting Down Syndrome through gene editing. Some people say that would be eugenics or genocide of disabled people, but I disagree. If you can guarantee a healthy baby, you should.
#6
Those backpack leashes on children. Kid can explore and parent doesn't have to worry about people snatching them if they turned their back for a second.
That suggests that some things are more commonly viewed as (im)moral, while others are more dependent on various factors. For instance, ending someone’s life is viewed as one of the most immoral things you can do. Yet, when it comes to something smaller, for example, violating etiquette rules or lying, the morality of that can be debated, as opinions might differ.
Let’s take today's list as an example. It’s a collection of things people named in an online thread under the question, “What's something people usually think is unethical, but you personally don't see a problem with?”
#8
I feel like this might get me a ton of hate but I’m willing to entertain any counter-arguments,
But I think it’s fair to openly criticize someone’s religion. If you’re gonna openly believe in something you should be able to back it up.
#9
I've had several people tell me it's not ethical to job hop. Like, I should stay with any given company for a minimum of 3 years.
f*** that. Any company on the planet would sell your organs if it were legal and profitable. Anyone can be fired at a moment's notice.
If I can give myself a 10% raise to take a new job, I owe it to my family's future to do that.
edit: In response to a few messages I've received: I'd be more than happy to stay at a single company for the rest of my life, if their salary bumps were in line with the market and my growing skill level. I've never worked anywhere, ever, that did more than 1% above inflation, and they expected you to be damned near obsequious with gratitude over it. Meanwhile every new job I've ever taken was a minimum 10% raise.
Here, you can find situations like people cutting their parents out of their lives. For some, this action might seem so immoral, they can’t even bring themselves to consider such an idea.
For others, it is a reality, something they have considered doing or have done. The reasons behind it can be various, but one of the most common is when the parent-child relationship is so toxic or even violent, it severely harms a person's well-being, and so going no-contact is the only way to heal.
#10
Screening calls/not being constantly available just because I’m available. I saw your call come in. No, I’m not busy. Voicemail or text and I’ll get back to you when I get back to you.
#11
That violence is inherently bad/wrong.
Yeah, sometimes violence is the answer. Sayings like "turn the other cheek" have been b*********d of their original meaning. I’m not saying go around causing chaos for every little thing, but I can’t help rolling my eyes when people say "violence is never the answer", because honestly, there are times it’s the only thing that gets results.
#12
Public n****y. Obviously not performing obscene acts, and we can all stand behind keeping public utilities sanitary. But places like the beach? Locker rooms? H**l, even certain types of entertainment venues, human bodies are human bodies. Maybe if we were a bit more used to seeing them, we wouldn't fixate on so many insecurities or have unrealistic expectations of the average person.
Another practice of debatable morality mentioned in this list is “Consuming art/media you enjoy made by terrible people”; basically, the idea of “love the art, hate the artist.” This phenomenon is quite often debated online – does embracing it make you a terrible person, can you actually separate the art from the artist?
One of the newest and most prominent examples of this is the conversation about J.K. Rowling. As you may or may not know, for the last couple of years, the author has been publicly going after the transgender community.
#13
Having indoor cats. Outdoor cat people have called me a*****e for having an indoor cat, because “cats shouldn’t be inside and need enrichment”. Yeah ok. Nevermind the fact indoor cats live double the amount of time compared to outdoor cats. Who’s the neglectful cat owner again? 🙄 Plus I hate the idea that being outside is the only kind of enrichment that exists for cats… but even if it was true you can walk them on a leash or catio anyway if you really want so they can go outside safely and not be in harms way. .
#14
Being "rude" in a lot of ways, such as being honest about your discomfort with someone, or telling a stranger when they're behaving inconsiderately in a public place, etc.
I personally love it when people do me this service, and I learn from it.
#15
Apparently it is unethical to donate your leftover foods from your restaurant chain to the soup kitchen, at least according to the corpos.
This insulted not only transgender fans of Harry Potter, but the community’s allies, both from the LGBTQ+ and straight sides. They then started questioning whether it is moral to consume Harry Potter media when the author is so vocally transphobic.
Some suggested “separating artists from the art”, since it is hard to boycott a story you grew up with, while others said this doesn’t work in this case and they should kiss the beloved story goodbye. Till this day, this debate is going on. And people are choosing sides depending on their moral compass.
#16
Piracy, especially if you're from third world/developing places. Nobody gives a f*** about us, why should we pay to get one of the few things that can amenize life for us, which is entertainment?
#17
Honestly?.. Snooping a bit on someone’s socials before a date. Like… it’s public, it’s safety, and I’m just being smart...
These examples just prove our previously expressed idea that what we consider (im)moral quite often depends on many factors in a person's life, making the question of what is and what isn’t unethical rather hard to answer unequivocally.
What are the things you don't view as a big deal, but others think are immoral? Share with us in the comments!
#19
At work if someone loses a charger for their iPad/laptop we are supposed to make them replace it. However if it was an accident or something out of their control happened we do not. I just tell everyone when writing the report to phrase it as an accident. Some co-workers think this is horrible of me to do but I don't give a s**t.
#20
Dumpster diving (on public property) I did or did not get a lor of cool or not so cool things out of dumpsters. allegedly
Edit: typo, fixed spelling.
#25
Taking candy from babies. They could choke on it.
Children should be at least 18 months before eating solid candy, and even then they should be supervised to prevent choking.
#26
I think that the whole "an eye for an eye" thing, is reasonable in some cases.
Like if you want to knowingly beat someone up, you should get beaten up yourself.
#28
Doubt it happens much these days but…Grave robbing
Those people aren’t using it anymore, it was stupid in the first place to bury them with anything valuable.
You Might Also Like: 46 awkward photos that are almost too painful to scroll through
Add Your Answer! This post is a community curated
Add Your Answer!
Related on Bored Panda
