A question of morality (part 1)

[Richard]

Your brother performed a criminal act which lead to serious injury (financial and/or physical) to another party you do not know.  No one is aware of his action, except you.  Assuming you live in a country where there is a reasonable judiciary and no corruption, are you morally obliged to inform the police of your brother's actions?

[A18]

First try to get him to turn himself in. If that doesn't work, tell the police.

[Ebowed]

I voted Option 3, but it's all very iffy.

[falling apart like the ashes of American flags]

I would definately turn him in.

[Bono]

I think I'd steal back from him and give it to the other person. Uless that other party was the government, in whihc case i'd be pretty happy to help him damage it some more.

[opebo]

There is no objective morality.  I wouldn't even consider turning my brother in to the police, though I might blackmail him.

[True Federalist (진정한 연방 주의자)]

The only moral option is to turn him in.  Whether I would do so is another question.

[angus]

 'em.  those bastards need to earn their pay just like the rest of us.  I remember about a year ago I was driving on 580 between SF and Manteca, I heard this announcement come on the car radio that said the cops were looking for a guy who had kidnapped his own son and they needed help catching him.  They described the car and where it was last seen.  I immediately thought of Chief ("I'm sort of a crime buff, you know") Wiggum, of the Simpsons.  Lazy bastard.  You know, if it weren't true that cops are lazy and corrupt, Clancy would be hilarious.  Unfortunately, he's too real to be funny.  So he's just sad.  Well, I looked at my wife, well, my girlfriend at the time, and she looked back at me.  And we both just laughed.  Lazy s.

Hell no I will not do a cop's job.  The bastards suck up the public funds, then expect us to do their legwork and brainwork.  A crime is only a crime when the law says it is.  Laws can be changed.  Brothers are forever!  No law is thicker than blood or friendship.  And no person is as lazy or corrupt as a policeman. 

No, I would not turn my brother in.  but I would beat him and generally harass him till he gives it back to its rightful owner.

[Gabu]

The only moral option is to turn him in.  Whether I would do so is another question.

Ernest basically said what I was going to.

[angus]

I think you are seriously confused.  Look up Legality and Morality.  They are very different.  You cannot assume that any cop has moral leverage over you or your brother.  Don't be so naive.

[Hitchabrut]

Option 1

[Cashcow]

This situation is reminiscent of this incident:

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Cash never told the police about what his friend did, and continues to defend his silence.

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Think on this.

[John Dibble]

A18 is right about getting him to turn himself in if possible, but otherwise I would have to turn him in - no ifs ands or buts about it. It would be hypocritical of me to harbor a violent criminal just because I have some sort of relation to him.

[Starbucks Union Thug HokeyPuck]

Depends on how serious it is.  Serious injury or death, something must be done for the victim/victim's family.  Little things like stealing, using drugs, underage drinking, traffic violation....no way do you get the pigs involved. 

[Jake]

I'd turn him in, I don't want creaps like that for family anyway.

[??????????]

Depends on how serious it is.  Serious injury or death, something must be done for the victim/victim's family.  Little things like stealing, using drugs, underage drinking, traffic violation....no way do you get the pigs involved. 

Pigs? You disgust me. Lets hope YOU[/i] never need the police for anything.

[Jake]

What a punk.  You remind me of the fools who walk around at my school with their Anti-Flag t-shirts and Che Guevara hoodies, but can't discuss things maturely.

[Nym90]

I would turn him in.

Remember, the question said serious injury, financially and/or physically. This isn't something like petty theft, speeding 5 MPH over the speed limit, or drinking alcohol at age 20.

Also, for those saying the police are corrupt, lazy, etc., remember that the question said that we are supposed to assume that they are not. It's supposed to be a purely moral question, not taking into consideration the practical consisderations of the real world.

[dazzleman]

Depends on how serious it is.  Serious injury or death, something must be done for the victim/victim's family.  Little things like stealing, using drugs, underage drinking, traffic violation....no way do you get the pigs involved. 

Pigs?  That's a really reprehensible attitude.  I guess you think they're part of the vast right wing conspiracy to suppress liberals such as yourself.

If somebody in my family caused serious injury to another person, I would feel a moral obligation to turn him in.  Obviously I wouldn't for minor things, but those who cause serious injury are likely to do it again.  The Unabomber was not caught until his brother turned him in.

Family loyalty only goes so far, and should not override basic concepts of right and wrong.

[opebo]

Depends on how serious it is.  Serious injury or death, something must be done for the victim/victim's family.  Little things like stealing, using drugs, underage drinking, traffic violation....no way do you get the pigs involved. 

Pigs? You disgust me. Lets hope YOU[/i] never need the police for anything.

There are two reasons that people call police 'pigs' - the main one is that so many of our laws are unjust, such as the drug laws, the laws against prostitution, etc.  Even the laws against 'stealing' fail to recognize the permanent oppression of the class system.  THe second reason is that most police are arrogant pigs.

[John Dibble]

Depends on how serious it is.  Serious injury or death, something must be done for the victim/victim's family.  Little things like stealing, using drugs, underage drinking, traffic violation....no way do you get the pigs involved. 

Pigs? You disgust me. Lets hope YOU[/i] never need the police for anything.

There are two reasons that people call police 'pigs' - the main one is that so many of our laws are unjust, such as the drug laws, the laws against prostitution, etc.  Even the laws against 'stealing' fail to recognize the permanent oppression of the class system.  THe second reason is that most police are arrogant pigs.

1. The police don't make the laws, so you really don't have a point.
2. I seriously doubt you have much experience with policemen. While some policemen are arrogant pigs(my former step-father being one of them) I can say that most of the policemen I've met are very nice people and are not arrogant.

[Nym90]

Depends on how serious it is.  Serious injury or death, something must be done for the victim/victim's family.  Little things like stealing, using drugs, underage drinking, traffic violation....no way do you get the pigs involved.  

Pigs? You disgust me. Lets hope YOU[/i] never need the police for anything.

There are two reasons that people call police 'pigs' - the main one is that so many of our laws are unjust, such as the drug laws, the laws against prostitution, etc. Even the laws against 'stealing' fail to recognize the permanent oppression of the class system. THe second reason is that most police are arrogant pigs.

Actually, I think that the vast majority of police officers are good people, but as with many groups, the 5% of bad ones ruin the reputations of the other 95%. You do have good points about some unjust laws (and remember, many of these are often unenforced laws, but can be enforced on the discretion of the officer, which can clearly lead to a bad situation when we have cops who aren't on the up and up), however, which do tend to breed disrespect for the more important ones.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Making sweeping statements about all coppers being "pigs" is such a stereotypical suburban-teenage pseudo-leftist rebelling against... well... SOMETHING! AAAAAAAAGH! thing to do.

Generally speaking most coppers (most of the one's you'll be dealing with with this kinda stuff anyways) are good people. O.K, it's true that most are corrupt in the pettiest sort of way (local paper where I live used to give the police station free copies. When they started to charge for them, the paper's vans got pulled over for speeding. So they gave them for free again... and haven't been done for speeding since) but that's hardly a huge problem. They do an importent job and for the most part do it fairly well (except for that 5% mentioned above. Luckily over here most seem to be concentrated in the ranks of the West Midlands Serious Crime force...)

Riot police can be different (some of the abuses that went on during the Miners Strike in '84 were horrific) but that's because in a very real way they are different and they shouldn't be confused with normal coppers (besides the two almost always hate eachother...)

[angus]

Making sweeping statements about all coppers being "pigs" is such a stereotypical suburban-teenage pseudo-leftist rebelling against... well... SOMETHING! AAAAAAAAGH! thing to do.

Generally speaking most coppers (most of the one's you'll be dealing with with this kinda stuff anyways) are good people. O.K, it's true that most are corrupt in the pettiest sort of way (local paper where I live used to give the police station free copies. When they started to charge for them, the paper's vans got pulled over for speeding. So they gave them for free again... and haven't been done for speeding since) but that's hardly a huge problem. They do an importent job and for the most part do it fairly well (except for that 5% mentioned above. Luckily over here most seem to be concentrated in the ranks of the West Midlands Serious Crime force...)

Riot police can be different (some of the abuses that went on during the Miners Strike in '84 were horrific) but that's because in a very real way they are different and they shouldn't be confused with normal coppers (besides the two almost always hate eachother...)

A corrupt policeman?!

well, is there any other kind? 


Reminds me of this time when I was living in California and my friend John was over and we had the stereo blasting and we were burning a big fat one and somehow we started talking about cops.  We were in agreement, going on about how it takes that special breed of fascist/authoritarian to even want to be a cop.  How they can't be trusted.  How we'd never encourage our own children, should we have any, to become a cop.  etc.  etc.  Well, just then there's this knock at the door.  So I open it and there she stands:  the sexiest thing imaginable.  A tall, busty, brunette in uniform with a sidearm.  boing!  I swear to whatever gods there be that I wanted to jump her bones right there.  Unfortunately, she had heard me going on about what bungholes coppers are on her way up the stairs to my apartment to investigate a complaint about the loud noise.  You know how neighbors can be.  Anyway, she politely told me to turn it down, and I invited her in for a drink, or whatever, and she gave me this look that could freeze hell.  Like, you gotta be kidding me, punk.  oh, man.  I felt like such a heel. 

Yes, I have made it with a cop before.  mmmmm.  mmmmm.  I do like those uniforms.  and guns.  very sexy.  still, I can't say I'd trust 'em.

[opebo]

1. The police don't make the laws, so you really don't have a point.
2. I seriously doubt you have much experience with policemen. While some policemen are arrogant pigs(my former step-father being one of them) I can say that most of the policemen I've met are very nice people and are not arrogant.

Actually my entire experience with police consists of being constantly pulled over in Missouri for driving an older Cadillac, and then being let go when the officer got a look at my harmless upper-middle-class geeky white face.