Stephanie wrote:
Viv,
Ethics... is it ethical to promise something you shouldn't deliver? I don't think Lucy should have promised anonymity to the students regarding their journals. It's an invitation to information you don't want, and probably shouldn't have.
At any rate, the promise of anonymity applied to the students' journals. This journal is a hoax, a fake. Therefore, the promise does not apply.
(Also, anyone who thinks they will have true anonymity on the Internet or when using e-mail should be aware, there's no such thing.)
I agree, thats what I am saying,it wasnt ethical of Lucy to promise something she wouldnt deliver, anonymity. It doesnt matter that it was about her, why is her past or her life more important than that of those she promised anonymity to? These kind of journal things do go on tho at a college level in some classes and you do expect the college, i.e. the professor, to keep this ethic.
As for not expecting it because they are sent over the internet, that a totally different issue than Lucy's ethics. Yes you know that they could be found out on the internet if someone wanted to, who doesnt know that, what you dont know is that your professor will be the one doing it after you have been told they won't. This goes to Lucy's ethics, not the assignment, not the internet, not the idea of it even, but her ethics and so it tells us something more about Lucy.
Also, is anyone getting that whoever is sending these (and not all the facts are right Lucy admits) is someone who KNOWS this about her, that even with it being enough similar, not exact, Lucy will break her ethics to find it? They know this about her, I think thats an important aspect to who we perceive Lucy to be and about who sent it.
If you think about it, we know that she and Paul both kept a secret from the police about what they were doing exactly that night. Kid's stuff I know but I am beginning to see an ethics learning experience also happening in this book. Lucy broke hers out of fear, twice now as we get to know her. Paul is all about "right is right and that is that" at this age that he wasnt as that kid. As Harlan said in one of his posts, he doesnt like his characters being black and white and these two aren't. So how is that going to finally play out in the end? Interesting huh.
One more thing, as for the journal being fake, so the promise doesn't apply....where would that be written on the assignment? lol, like, you have our promise of anonymity UNLESS we believe your horrible stories to be a lie, then we will look for you? It doesn't work that way. I was asked to do something a little similar in college and the only thing they told us that would cause them to break their anonymity was if we were writing about harming ourselves,(contemplatiing suicide), or if it were about an unreported criminal offense. Now this was about a time that involved a crime, but the journal has nothing in it about the criminal act. If one would argue that this is what invalidates the promise then Lucy has only one option, to involve the police to find who it was for that purpose. This wasnt the case, this was strickly for Lucy's need, they had read other things before that were on the line of looking for the person, but she didnt BECAUSE they didnt involve her. Don't get me wrong, I like Lucy and as I said, I probably would have done it too. All I am saying is its a breach of ethics for her that we have to accept that she did.
Vivian
~Those who do not read are no better off than those who can not.~ Chinese proverb
after all, its just day 2 of the class in all actuality.
