Warning Labels
For me, common sense as we know it ended the day I saw a TV commercial in which a volcano spit out a Jeep. I didn't mind the fact that the Jeep drove away from the carnage after landing on the ground. I was simply amazed that the legal department forced advertisers to include a disclaimer warning people not to try this stunt.
If lawyers are worried their clients might be sued by Jeep owners who might say they drove into volcanoes because their vehicles failed to include a disclaimer warning them not to take this action, I suppose I should not be surprised that a Do Not Attempt disclaimer now appears in another series of TV advertisements for Toyota.
In this particular case, car and truck owners are so desperate to get their hands on a new Toyota Tundra truck that they go to any lengths to deliberately destroy their own vehicles in "accidents" of their own doing.
An attorney must be pretty desperate if they think they can free a client that destroys a car, collects the insurance money, and then spends it on a new car, because the person was unduly influenced by a television ad.
A disclaimer on a TV spot should not control behavior. Ethics should.
This week's revelations about the widespread use of performance enhancing drugs in baseball include recommendations for controlling a problem that is inherently uncontrollable. At the root of the problem lies the personal ethical code guiding each ball player who must decide if he will rely on his own talents or will he chemically enhance them.
Bending one's ethics to achieve a goal is an ancient challenge, but certainly a timely question to consider during the holiday season, when positive religious themes still manage to float through the din of holiday music.
Civilized society requires moments when ethics and law intertwine. For instance, murder carries both legal and religious consequences that deter us from taking such a dramatic step, no matter how angry we might get when someone cuts us off on the Garden State Parkway. But in a wide array of situations, ethical questions adopt a grayer hue, and in these circumstances, we must rely upon both our conscience and our intelligence to make the right decision.
Sports is an imperfect arbiter when it comes to ethics. The New York Daily News can put an asterisk next to the unblemished record of the New England Patriots for as long as they want. It won't help Jets fans feel better.
Instead, may I humbly suggests that if you are still looking for that perfect holiday gift for a child or grandchild, consider a few moments of putting the Mitchell report into the context of day-to-day life, and sharing your personal credo of ethical behavior with family members.
And if you get them a Tonka truck, just make sure they know to avoid playing around volcanoes.
If lawyers are worried their clients might be sued by Jeep owners who might say they drove into volcanoes because their vehicles failed to include a disclaimer warning them not to take this action, I suppose I should not be surprised that a Do Not Attempt disclaimer now appears in another series of TV advertisements for Toyota.
In this particular case, car and truck owners are so desperate to get their hands on a new Toyota Tundra truck that they go to any lengths to deliberately destroy their own vehicles in "accidents" of their own doing.
An attorney must be pretty desperate if they think they can free a client that destroys a car, collects the insurance money, and then spends it on a new car, because the person was unduly influenced by a television ad.
A disclaimer on a TV spot should not control behavior. Ethics should.
This week's revelations about the widespread use of performance enhancing drugs in baseball include recommendations for controlling a problem that is inherently uncontrollable. At the root of the problem lies the personal ethical code guiding each ball player who must decide if he will rely on his own talents or will he chemically enhance them.
Bending one's ethics to achieve a goal is an ancient challenge, but certainly a timely question to consider during the holiday season, when positive religious themes still manage to float through the din of holiday music.
Civilized society requires moments when ethics and law intertwine. For instance, murder carries both legal and religious consequences that deter us from taking such a dramatic step, no matter how angry we might get when someone cuts us off on the Garden State Parkway. But in a wide array of situations, ethical questions adopt a grayer hue, and in these circumstances, we must rely upon both our conscience and our intelligence to make the right decision.
Sports is an imperfect arbiter when it comes to ethics. The New York Daily News can put an asterisk next to the unblemished record of the New England Patriots for as long as they want. It won't help Jets fans feel better.
Instead, may I humbly suggests that if you are still looking for that perfect holiday gift for a child or grandchild, consider a few moments of putting the Mitchell report into the context of day-to-day life, and sharing your personal credo of ethical behavior with family members.
And if you get them a Tonka truck, just make sure they know to avoid playing around volcanoes.
Labels: baseball, commercials, ethics, sockol
posted by msockol at 5:46 PM
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