Mr. Burns as Scrooge of Springfield Free Essays

string(194) " espouses that an action is moral as long as it falls within the moral rights of an individual, while the Fairness or Justice Approach which states that favoritism and discrimination are wrong\." In the history of modern popular culture, there have been few American satires as influential and successful as the animated television show, The Simpsons.   With Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, and baby Maggie living in the everytown of Springfield, U.S. We will write a custom essay sample on Mr. Burns as Scrooge of Springfield or any similar topic only for you Order Now A., they find themselves in many situations common to most Americans, including being under the rule of ruthless corporate raiders like Charles Montgomery Burns. As owner of the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant, Mr. Burns displays all the characteristics of a classic egoist, though his satirical portrayal takes many of the attributes and accentuates them to the point of ridiculousness.   Mr. Burns shows absolutely no charitable tendencies, is concerned solely with money and power, and cares little for anyone other than himself, which makes him anything but a relativist or utilitarian, but seems to make him more of an ethical egoist. Mr. Burns is a corporate raider, characterized on the show as being over a century old, putting him amongst the original robber barons.   The character himself is actually based on an amalgam of media magnate William Randolph Hearst and his fictional counterpart Charles Foster Kane, both characters that focused solely on their power and how to use and enhance it.   In The Simpsons, almost every story concerning Mr. Burns includes his blatant disregard for anyone else other than himself and his own interests. One of the most obvious depictions of Burns’ ethics comes in the two-part episode called â€Å"Who Shot Mr. Burns?†Ã‚   In the episode, oil is discovered beneath Springfield Elementary School, and the school seems poised to get a windfall of money from the discovery.   This will allow the terribly dilapidated and underfunded school to make many improvements in every aspect of the curriculum.   However, Mr. Burns discovers the oil and creates a slant drilling company that will draw the oil up from an angle, in the process destroying the Springfield Retirement Home and making the popular Moe’s Tavern uninhabitable for humans.   In addition to alienating the school, destroying the retirement home, and putting Moe’s out of business, Mr. Burns also fails to remember the name of his decade-long employee, Homer Simpson. His selfishness and self-absorption have managed to anger just about everyone in town, though he is only concerned with making more money and becoming even more powerful.   He finally reveals his grand scheme to his loyal assistant Waylon Smithers, which is to build a giant device that will block out the sun in Springfield and require all the citizens in town to use electricity from his plant twenty-four hours a day.   He even feels so good that he wants to steal candy from a baby. When his loyal assistant objects, Burns quickly fires him, never realizing that Smithers’ life desire was merely to work for Mr. Burns.   Burns is blind to everything and everyone, and he finally succeeds at blocking out the sun, incurring the anger of everyone in town.   It is when he celebrates his victory he is shot by an unknown assailant, who after a cliffhanger, is revealed to be baby Maggie Simpson as he attempts to steal her candy and subsequently shot by his own gun (â€Å"Who Shot Mr. Burns?†). While the over three-hundred episodes of The Simpsons have many instances of Mr. Burns making ethically questionable decisions in the name of money and power, this episode remains one of the most famous and obvious examples of his selfishness.   To Burns, nothing is as important as his business success, and this is the single factor dictating his ethics and his actions.   Burns’ morality bleeds into every aspect of his life outside of business, though to him there are no other concerns than business. Morality and ethics are important to every aspect of human life, including in business, and many ethical theorists have sought to understand the extent of morality and the duty that individuals and organizations have to other individuals and organizations.   Though no laws of morality or ethics have been established, there are four core concepts presented by ethical theorists: ethical relativism, which espouses that ethics is a question of individual choice and preference; impartiality, which suggests that humans should treat each other as equals where none count more than others; sympathy, which is the imaginative ability to put oneself in another’s shoes; and moral sufficiency, which seeks to answer just how much moral decency is reasonably possible (Gibson 62-63). In business matters, these issues and the questions they pose are even greater, as businesses have the potential to create great benefit for others, or do them great harm, all the while trying to maximize profit and retain success.   Mr. Burns is far from an ethical relativist, for he shows no concern for the benefit of others.   In fact, he takes joy out of creating misery for others, as long as their misery is profitable to him.   He assumes responsibility for his actions without shame, and feels no remorse if anyone is hurt.   After all, one of his greatest desires was to take candy from a baby, for no other reason than he could. In the essay, â€Å"Thinking Ethically,† the authors attempt to apply various ethical approaches to moral issues in business, which could apply to Mr. Burns’ actions.   One of the first and most widely known approaches is the utilitarian approach, which seeks to achieve the greatest good for the greatest number of individuals.   The way to analyze the utilitarian approach is to identify the various course of action available, ask who will be affected by each action and what benefits and harms will come from them, and choose the action that will produce the greatest benefits and least harm (Velasquez 64). Mr. Burns, if anything, purposefully contradicts this mode of action, as he derives pleasure in the misery of those he vanquishes in the name of greater profit and power, even if these people are innocent.   Another ethical approach is the Rights Approach, which espouses that an action is moral as long as it falls within the moral rights of an individual, while the Fairness or Justice Approach which states that favoritism and discrimination are wrong. You read "Mr. Burns as Scrooge of Springfield" in category "Essay examples" The Common Good Approach focuses on ensuring that social policies, social systems, institutions, and environments on which we depend are beneficial to all; the Virtue Approach assumes that there are certain ideals towards which humans should strive, which provide for the full development of humanity (66).   By approaching situations of ethical ambiguity with these theories, one has a better chance of choosing the correct mode of action.   For Burns, all of these ethical approaches are not applicable, for he fails to ever consider how his actions may affect anyone else negatively. Or, when he does think about it, he gets pleasure in being able to impose his power to the point where he can bring misery to others through his actions, as in his celebration after blotting out the sun despite the protests of everyone in the entire town, including his closest supporter Smithers. In Donelson Forsyth’s article, â€Å"Judging the Morality of Business Practices: The Influence of Personal Moral Philosophies,† he examines the ways business leaders approach ethical relativism and how it does not need to necessarily defeat the moral enterprise.   However, to someone like Mr. Burns, ethics are nothing more than an afterthought, while the bottom line is the only thing that matters. While studies have suggested the impact of relativism and idealism on moral judgment and behavior depends on the nature of the social institution, individual differences in personal moral philosophy suggests that humans will most likely never reach the ideal of complete agreement, but can aim for a fuller understanding of one’s own and others’ reactions to various types of business practices (Forsyth 75).   In the case of Burns, he only agrees and appreciates with those that share his views on profiteering and power, even though he remains skeptical and suspicious of every threat; and he considers virtually everybody a threat to his wealth and power. This is why, despite having more money than anyone in town and never being able to spend it all, all the instances when Mr. Burns is asked to contribute even a little of his money to help someone else, he vehemently rejects the request.   This has been seen many times in the show, from Homer asking for help with a sick dog to a girl scout trying to sell Mr. Burns cookies only to have him â€Å"release the hounds† on her. Mr. Burns greed and complete lack of charity display his true nature as an ethical egoist.   In Peter Singer’s article, â€Å"The Singer Solution to World Poverty,† the author proposes that if people in affluent countries like the United States donated a small portion of their money that would normally be spent on luxury items, then the money can be used to help out poverty stricken peoples around the world. He uses examples of how this can be done, by citing the costs incurred by someone who buys a new television merely to upgrade from an older one.   He claims that if this money was donated to such charities as Unicef or Oxfam America that it would do a greater deal of good for the most possible people, thereby having the greatest utility value.   By choosing to buy the television and not donate the money, Singer feels that a person is making a questionable moral decision, even though few in the situation actually feel this way. Singer uses a more provocative hypothetical example of a man named Bob, who has an uninsurable classic car that he will sell to insure that he has money for his retirement.   In the situation, Bob is forced to make a decision as a train bears down on his car and a little boy; Bob has a choice whether to save the boy or the car, but not both, and Bob chooses the car and lets the boy die.   While this dramatic example seems to highlight the undesirable attributes of self-interest, Singer claims that the â€Å"difference between Bob and those who can afford to donate to overseas aid organizations but don’t is that only Bob can save the child on the tracks, whereas there are hundreds of millions of people who can give $200 to overseas aid organization† (Singer). By Singer’s logic, those that are not donating to these organizations are committing an act similar to the one performed by Bob.   Mr. Burns would not only laugh at such a concept, but would relish the fact that anyone asking for help would be suffering.   If in the same situation, he would most certainly save the car, and most likely praise Bob for saving his car, before figuring out a way to get the car from Bob for himself. Mr. Burns utilizes his power to inflict his will upon others, and only respects those who do the same.   As, all humans are born with free will, the decision to be charitable or uncharitable rests within that freedom.   The German Enlightenment philosopher Immanuel Kant contributed much to the Western discussion of ethics and free will, and his conception of freedom and virtue are reasoned by â€Å"the critical distinction of the two modes of representation (the sensible and the intellectual) and the consequent limitation of the conceptions of the pure understanding and of the principles which flow from them† (Kant). Kant attempts to distinguish between the empirical and rational conceptions of free will and how it influences virtue, questioning whether freedom is the independent choices of free will or merely the practical reaction to circumstance and causality.   To this end, Kantianism is highly dependent upon reason to figure out the proper decision concerning virtue, and his ethics rely on obligation to reason more than emotions or goals.   Thus, the Kantian approach to donation and charity would be the duty of those that have the means to donate.   Burns would patently disagree.   Most certainly, Mr. Burns is an ethical egoist. Ethical egoism is a philosophical practice that encourages individuals to pursue their own self-interests.   While it is idealistic to think of helping unknown masses with one’s own hard earned money, it is also naà ¯ve to think that people should feel obligated to do so.   A person who works hard to make money to buy fine things is entitled to those things.   Just because a person is successful and can afford luxury items does not mean that they are obligated to help strangers because it serves some sort of utilitarian purpose.   If anything, much of this altruism merely perpetuates a cycle in which those who are poor become accustomed to the aid of those who are not.   If they pursued their own self-interests, they would be better able to rise above their own struggles and create a successful world for themselves. Ethical egoism is not entirely without the concept of helping others, however it focuses not on people that an individual will never meet, but the people in his or her life and those that the person loves and touches personally.   If one’s family is in trouble and one possesses the ability to give assistance, this is in the individual’s best interest, as it will lead to happiness.   However, for an extreme example like Mr. Burns, there is no one that he wishes to help, save for the occasional cute pet or his old stuffed teddy bear.   Mr. Burns is a classic example of an ethical egoist, and no one should expect him to do anything for anyone other than himself.   And, in the twenty years that The Simpsons have been on television, he has done nothing but loyally follow his ethical egoist values. Works Cited: Forsyth, Donelson R.. â€Å"Judging the Morality of Business Practices: The Influence of Personal Moral Philosophies.† Business Ethics: People, Profits, and the Planet. Ed. Kevin Gibson. New York: McGraw-Hill Humanities, 2005. 67-76. Gibson, Kevin. â€Å"The Theoretical Backdrop of Business Ethics.† Business Ethics: People, Profits, and the Planet. Ed. Kevin Gibson. New York: McGraw-Hill Humanities, 2005. 61-63. Kant, Immanuel. The Critique Of Pure Reason. Ed. J. M. D. Meiklejohn. 1781. eserver.org. 4 Apr 2008. ;http://philosophy.eserver.org/kant/critique-of-pure-reason.txt;. Velasquez, Manuel, ; Claire Andre, Tomas Shanks, S.J., and Michael J. Meyer. â€Å"Thinking Ethically: A Framework for Moral Decision Making.† Business Ethics: People, Profits, and the Planet. Ed. Kevin Gibson. New York: McGraw-Hill Humanities, 2005. 64-67. Singer, Peter. â€Å"The Singer Solution to World Poverty.† The New York Times Magazine. 5 Sep 1999; pp. 60-63. Utilitarian Philosophers. 4 Apr 2008. ;http://www.utilitarian.net/singer/by/19990905.htm; â€Å"Who Shot Mr. Burns?† The Simpsons. Bill Oakley and Josh Weinstein. 20th Century Fox. 21 May 1995. 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Genetically Modified Organism-Free-Samples-Myassignmenthelp.com

Question: Do you believe that the benefits of Genetically Modifying Organisms Outweigh the disadvantages, or vice versa? Answer: Genetically Modified Organism The disadvanatges of Genetic Modified Organisms outweigh their benefits, this because Genetically Modified Organisms have been around for 10 years, 10 years barely appears to be sufficiently long to show all the potential side effects of GMOs. Many have voiced their worries of the certainty that there will be an unpredictable health implication relating to infections; According to Anklam, Gadani, Heinze and Pijnenburg (2014), a considerable amount of the genes put into the foods we eat originate from hereditary viruses and bacteria that can attack cells and thus cause hereditary harm and whimsical physiological and biochemical impacts. Apparently, we are probably going to be more beneficial because of consuming natural foods, not what has been interfered with as organically modified organisms expose users to viruses and bacteria (Anklam, Gadani, Heinze Pijnenburg, 2014). Besides, no side effects relating to infections of viruses and bacteria in humans is confirmed from GMOs, an inquiry carried out on animals can be blamed on our doubt of genetically modified organism. Burton, Rigby, Young, and James (2015) found that rats bolstered on genetically modified organism exhibited a reduced immune system and a considerable harm on various fundamental organs, including a contracted brain, this is because of the bacteria and viruses contained in organically modified organisms. In the event that a genetically modified item was endorsed for sale, which bore comparative health implications, then it, means that the human race could diminish quickly, rendering the effort to enhance the quality of our well-being an entire loss. Therefore, it is sensible to argue that, the disadvantages that accrue from the consumption of genetically modified organisms outweigh the health benefits in relation to the virus and bacteria users are exposed to (Burton, Rigby, Young Jame s, 2015). References Anklam, E., Gadani, F., Heinze, P., Pijnenburg (2014). Analytical methods for detection and determination of genetically modified organisms in agricultural crops and plant-derived food products.European Food Research and Technology,214(1), 3-26. Burton, M., Rigby, D., Young, T., James, S. (2015). Consumer attitudes to genetically modified organisms in food in the UK.European Review of Agricultural Economics,28(4), 479-498.

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Hybrid Publishers What are they and should you TRUST them

Hybrid Publishers What are they and should you TRUST them Hybrid Publishers: What are they and should you TRUST them? Hybrid publishers are still a bit of a mystery to many authors. The term â€Å"hybrid† may mean different things to different people. To some, it's interchangeable with vanity publishing - which is understandable, as they both require the author to take some financial risk in order to get the book to market. Before an author chooses to embrace or avoid this model of publishing, a lot of questions need to be asked.In this post, we’ll aim to cut through the noise and answer the most burning questions surrounding hybrid publishing. What are hybrid publishers? We have the answer! What are hybrid publishers?As the name hints, a hybrid publisher combines elements of traditional publishing and self-publishing. In most aspects, they function just like a traditional publisher, with the key exception that their authors will subsidize the cost of publishing and will not be given an advance on royalties.Just like traditional presses, hybrid publishers tend to have editorial, design, and marketing teams. The idea behind hybrid presses is to give a traditional-style publishing option to authors who cannot (or prefer not to) work with a traditional publisher. Self-publishing is not for everyone. If you’re a writer whose only interest is to write books, then you might want someone else to handle the editorial, design, and marketing work. If this is something you’re willing to pay for, then this might be the right choice for you.Three reasons to avoid hybrid publishing1. The publisher might struggle with marketing and salesA hybrid publisher’s editorial and design departments might have incredible standards - and be able to deliver a great product - but without the marketing might of a larger company, they will likely struggle to secure publicity and get your book placed into the right stores.2. The author assumes a fair amount of financial riskAt the end of the day, the author is going to be footing a significant portion of the publishing bill. And in exchange, they will have to trust that the hybrid press is doing what’s best for their book. If it all doesn’t go to plan, and the book doesn’t sel l, then the author has very little recourse to recover their investment.3. Another route might be more appropriateIf the book you’re writing has great commercial potential, you might be better off looking to secure an agent who will pitch it to traditional publishers. Similarly, you might find that self-publishing offers the same perks and more: you can still work with professional editors and designers, and you’ll get an even bigger cut of the royalties. If you’re willing to learn about the basics of book marketing (and put them into action), you might find that you can reach a wider audience than if you leave it all to a hybrid publisher’s marketing department.If you want to learn more about self-publishing a book, take a quick look through our guide.Have you worked with a hybrid publisher? Or do you have any questions about them? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

Ethics Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

Ethics Paper - Essay Example This is obviously the wrong direction that the prison system is taking and represents an unethical way in which the offenders are being treated. Although the conditions in these prisons meet federal and local standards, the overall issue of human rights and equality is fundamentally flawed due to the fact that the people who are being locked away are not viewed with respect to how they should be punished or reformed; rather, they are only viewed with respect to the overall level of profitability that can be extracted from the state, regional, or federal government for their tenure in the penal system. The following analysis will discuss this to some length and highlight the unethical nature as well as some prescriptions for change that could be instituted in order to have a positive impact upon the current criminal justice system. The ethical issue that exists is the fact that the prisons and penal institutions within the United States are supposed to be interested only in punishing and rehabilitating the criminal. Instead, what is taking place throughout the country is a situation in which the prison complex itself is making a massive amount of money based upon the individuals that it incarcerates. As one might expect, this means that there will be little if any focus upon seeking to rehabilitate the criminal; instead, the focus is upon only trying to expand the size of the prisons so that a further and further level of profitability is made. There have of course been people complaining about the criminal justice system in the United States for many years; however, the fact of the matter is that the current â€Å"for profit† criminal justice system is one that does not champion the improvement of society or the reintegration of the offender. As such, the primary ethical/moral issue that one must consider relates to the issue that has evolved from what this author will deem â€Å"incarceration for profit†. Although few individuals in the United St ates are aware of this practice, the fact of the matter is that it has grown from an isolated incidence to a multi-million dollar a year industry. The central issue can be explained as a system whereby overburdened municipalities cannot immediately afford the massive expense that is called for in order to build a new penitentiary system. As a way to bridge this gap while making a substantial profit, private firms enter into the equation and offer the municipality a joint venture which is oftentimes hard to resist. These firms offer to front the necessary capital to build the facility as well as staff it with private contracting security firms. The catch then comes as the municipality agrees to an extended lease of the facility. Although at face value this may seem an ingenious way for a private firm to work to alleviate the strains that a municipality may have with relation to prison overcrowding, it is however slightly more sinister than one would at first presume. Due to the fact that a private firm now has stake in the criminal justice system, a system that arguably the state and the state alone should have prevue over, the interests of rehabilitation and reform are placed as secondary to overall profit (Brickner et al. 11). Such a situation is counter to the very foundations of what the criminal justice system is supposed to provide to society. In this way, incarceration has become the primary focus of policy makers and local leaders whereas the needs of those incarcerated

Interview with a professional social worker Ali Haider Ali Essay

Interview with a professional social worker Ali Haider Ali - Essay Example AHA: Also, growing up in inner city Delhi, I saw the disparity between the have's and the have-not's and somehow I felt that it was important to be involved in making a difference and making a change, so that there would be a greater degree of social justice for everyone involved. So that's actually when I first began some interested in it, although I'll tell you honestly, that I think that it's something that Allah has called me to because it seems to be a really natural fit for me. AHA: Yes, more specifically I want to do my paper on social work and Muslim youth, or the social concerns of the Muslim youth. I want to do an ethnographic qualitative study that gives us a chance to hear from Muslim youth and what they see their experience of being Muslim in a secular country though demographically dominated by non-Muslims-specifically Hindu. I think some of the implications of this on social work, both Islamic social services or in the Muslim community and mainstream social services, would be how to better understand how to relate to Muslim youth, to identify areas of strength as well as areas of challenge that they face. AHA: Also, sometimes Muslim youth experience different social problems family problems, identity problems, a variety of issues that the Muslim community is not well prepared for, nor do they develop sufficient prevention programs for it, nor is the mainstream social services community prepared. Interviewer: But is it not true for the Muslims living in so called first world AHA: It is. Say, US or UK authorities should look into this, especially their social workers. Interviewer: However, coming back to India, should we get around to involving the rest of the community in social work, such as Imams, how should we train them What

W 3 Legal Topic Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

W 3 Legal Topic - Essay Example use managed care organizations have over the years served as a consortium of organizations that use various managed care techniques to bring both affordable care and quality care to care users (Svorny, 2011). Whiles playing their role, there ethical and legal responsibilities that managed care organizations become bounded to. From the article of Leslie (1994), it would be noted that the application of ethical and legal principles go hand in hand. When arguing for whether or not managed care organization must be shielded from liability when utilization review results in an adverse event, it is important to consider both sides of the argument, namely ethical and legal. From an ethical perspective, one would notice that once managed care organizations agree to be responsible for the health care of patients, they set delimitations that have to with the fact that they do not become the direct care givers. Rather, the managed care organizations employ the services of health care service providers to give care. Meanwhile, adverse event can be noted to be a health risks that occurs at the point of reception of care. According to the National Health Directorate, adverse event is considered an ethical issue that occurs at the time of receiving care from a professional (Kesselheim and Brennan, 2013). What this means is that when utilization review results in an adverse event, it is the professional health care provider that is to blame rather than the facilitator of the care. From this perspective, it can be argued that indeed managed care organization need to be shielded from ethical based liabilities that has to do with adverse event. From a legal perspective also, it is always important to ask the question of what the regulations state (Leslie, 1994). Leslie (1994) actually noted that the contractual provisions of managed care organizations set an indemnity clause that attempts to establish their lack of liability. The basis for this legal provision is that in most of