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The Dartmouth
June 25, 2025 | Latest Issue
The Dartmouth

Ethical Boredom

Itis unfortunate that the very system we are governed by is irrevocably cloaked with skepticism and distrust. Politics in the modern day, and politicians in particular, are constantly subjected to ridicule, cynical conversation,and other negative forms of societal discourse which in general reflect a growing dissatisfaction with our nation's government.I say this is unfortunate because what society collectively believes is a direct product of its own people.In addition, the reverse is also true.Once an idea becomes fact, society begins to instruct mankind.This perpetrates the idea -- in this case, that politics are corrupt -- whether it is true or not.The question, then, is raised: how can this country change the way its people feel about their government?

It is an unpleasant fact that some politicians could be classified as corrupt.Yet this only holds true on an individual basis; it would be ludicrous to contend that the entire system is flawed on the basis of a few flawed components.The problem lies in the common societal attitude that politics in general are corrupt.The only way to correct this problem is for society to accept the idea that politics could, in fact, actually be governed by ethical principals.Until ideas reflecting the opposite cease circulating the country, though, this solution may never be plausible.

In this year's April 10th issue of The Beacon, an article was run entitled, "Republican Heaven Right Here On Earth."In it, the author related her heavenly experience of attending the Republican Presidential Primary Candidate Convention.She defended her position, perhaps anticipating the societal concept of corrupt politicians aforementioned: "Some of them may not be exactly ethicalone hundred percent of the time, and they may not all end up with a harp and a pair of wings in the afterlife, but if everyone wereethical all the time, the world would be a pretty dull place."

I am not bashing the Republican party, nor am I questioning the integrity of the author.It is entirely possible that the she was only illustrating her experience in hyperbolic fashion.It is equally possible that she truly advocates and believes that ethical behavior is inherently boring.Regardless, the quote sufficiently represents the crux of the problem.In this logically backwards day and age, morality has taken a back seat to a plethora of scientific and philosophical ideologies which only serve to attack one another in useless competition.They are all successful in one respect, however, and that is the undermining of a sense of ethics.

Largely because of this, the notion that government is corrupt has become a reality for society.The people of this country need to take a step back and analyze the dire situation.This problem cannot be alleviated until the idea is accepted that government, as a whole, isrun inethical fashion.And this problem cannot be alleviated until the idea is accepted that government, as a whole, should be run in ethical fashion.Neither one of these requisitions will occur, though, until the danger and absurdity of preaching ethical boredom is realized.It seems like such a simple solution to an increasingly difficult problem, but maybe mankind really does feel that ethics are boring.If that is the case, the world is very sad place indeed.