HI!! I have some important news before we begin our discussion on legally vs. ethically. My blog posts will be updated to different titles. They will no longer be Life of 12 years old- Coronavirus Lockdown- Part __ but instead will have correct or more relevant titles. They will still be part of the Coronavirus log, but not titled it. So, without any hesitation, let us start our blog!!!
Now, this blog will also refer back to my other post on foreign students. It will refer to my opinion and President Trump’s opinion, and several other examples that aren’t related to that blog but are to this topic.
Let’s start with what these two words mean. Legal ( to shorten down legally) is what is set forth in government laws, or has some accordance with the law. Ethics is more about right and wrong in behavior, and in general. There are three different options. To be legally right and ethically right, to be legally right and ethically wrong, and legally wrong and ethically right. To make this more into perspective, we’re going to look at President Trump’s decision for sending students back to their home country. Just a little while ago, President Trump declared that he wanted all foreign students to go back to their home country. Where he stands, as president, he is allowed to do that. He can come up with that idea, say it, declare it, etc. So, he is legally right, because he is allowed to do that, but ethically, wrong. It wasn’t the right thing to do. These students have come into a brand new country, foreign to THEM, in culture, language, style, etiquette, and so much more. There was a post in today’s newspaper. “Foreign students fear deportation.” ( Here is the link to the post. I couldn’t find the one on the website, but instead found it here.) It says, ” …We already paid so much money just to go to school here. We’re already having to pay two to three times the normal tuition just to do this, and now that things are “inconvenient”, they’re just going to send us all home.” This was said by 24-year-old, Indonesian Jadha Gunawan. This is true. Usually, college fees and tuitions are more expensive for foreign students than those who are citizens of that country. I’m not sure if it everywhere else as well, but I know that it is like that here in the U.S. If a student of the U.S. or citizen of it, were to pay $100 for the college, the foreign studnets would have to pay possibly $150. It’s really expensive, as well as the flight here, which would also cost more. Maybe, some of these students come from families with not a lot of money. This has already put so much onto them. It’s like their money was wasted because of this. So, in this case, President Trump would have been ethically wrong in his decision.
I have to say, he wasn’t the only one wrong in that. I also said that that should happen- but only because I thought it would help them more. This was before legal and ethics were put into my mind. After that, I thought of this in a different way. Though I thought differently, it made me wonder, would my opinion instead be ethically right than wrong? I wanted this to happen because I thought it would help teh students. It would be terrible if they got infected. Some of them might have come alone, and may not realize they have the virus. The U.S. would be blamed for this, by the students’ country, and who knows. Maybe that country wouldn’t ket those students to go back. After what happened, it’s like, who can trust them to take care of our people? I didn’t want that to happen. So, then again, would it be ethically right, or still wrong?
Let’s look at another example. This one is legally wrong and ethically right. In some stories, like fairytales, or just stories, or even real life, there has been this particular part. Where a husband breaks into a shop to get medicine for his sick wife at night. Now, you might be, why, did, you DO THAT? Breaking into a shop and stealing is not a good idea. It is not. But, you have to also understand the reason why. Would you also do that if your wife or family member or loved one were sick or needed help? That was what the man was doing. He knew he would get in trouble, but he had a good reason why he did it. Legally, he was wrong for breaking into the shop, but ethically, right, because he just helped someone.
In my opinion, I believe that we should all aim for being legally and ethically right. It’s right on both sides, not just one. Even if you can’t, choose the one you believe is the right one. Like the man getting medicine for his wife. Though it was breaking a law, he helped his wife get better. Think about that.
All right, I hope you have hopefully learned quite a lot form this post like I did, and start making choices based on this. I hope you all are well. BYE!!!!!