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<p class="MsoNormal">Unemployment benefits are only a disincentive to work if the work available sucks. If one does harm to colleagues or employer, and they represent a valuable relationship, then it is just a bad call. If it isn’t a valuable relationship,
then take the time and regroup to find a safe place to work. A few hundred dollars a week is not a huge incentive or disincentive in the context of damaging a professional reputation, but if the job has a good chance of risking death, then it is different.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><b>From:</b> Friam <friam-bounces@redfish.com> <b>On Behalf Of
</b>Prof David West<br>
<b>Sent:</b> Friday, February 5, 2021 9:10 AM<br>
<b>To:</b> friam@redfish.com<br>
<b>Subject:</b> Re: [FRIAM] ethical dilemma<o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">One should be precise when asking a question, and I find I was not.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">The first ethical dilemma is that I would have to
<b><i>knowingly lie</i></b> about my "fear" of contracting COVID at work. I know I am at greater risk but that has not and likely will not translate into "fear."<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">The second ethical dilemma arises from the fact that I would be, almost, literally irreplaceable — unemployment benefits are a huge disincentive to workiong. So those I left behind will suffer
some serious negative impacts, assuming my hours and increasing their own exposure to disease. Ethics of loyalty, friendship, compassion for others????<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">A third issue: if I inspired even one other colleague to follow my example, the store likely would have to close with negative impacts on the community as well as the other employees.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">One might make a case that the only ethical thing for me to do would be to leave and take as many as my colleagues with me in hopes that the Canadian company that owns the story would raise their
wages scale to $15+ an hour. This would harm nothing except their corporate profits and would benefit both the community and all the employees. Unlikely to happen, but the ethical argument could be made.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">PS Nick: yes, I would be lonely, but that is a pandemic condition during the pandemic.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">PPS poets: Richard Gabriel, Ph.D. Computer Science, MFA Poetry, creator of a poetry writing AI — told me that Haiku cannot be written in English, or any non-ideographic language, because meter
provides only syntax, and misses the semantic point.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">davew<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">On Fri, Feb 5, 2021, at 9:03 AM, <a href="mailto:thompnickson2@gmail.com">thompnickson2@gmail.com</a> wrote:<o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class="qt-msonormal1">Dave,<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="qt-msonormal1"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="qt-msonormal1">Wouldn’t you be lonely?<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="qt-msonormal1"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="qt-msonormal1">N<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="qt-msonormal1"> <o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class="qt-msonormal1">Nick Thompson<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="qt-msonormal1"><a href="mailto:ThompNickSon2@gmail.com">ThompNickSon2@gmail.com</a><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="qt-msonormal1"><a href="https://wordpress.clarku.edu/nthompson/">https://wordpress.clarku.edu/nthompson/</a><o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class="qt-msonormal1"> <o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><b>From:</b> Friam <<a href="mailto:friam-bounces@redfish.com">friam-bounces@redfish.com</a>>
<b>On Behalf Of </b>Prof David West<o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><b>Sent:</b> Thursday, February 4, 2021 9:15 PM<o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><b>To:</b> <a href="mailto:friam@redfish.com">friam@redfish.com</a><o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><b>Subject:</b> [FRIAM] ethical dilemma<o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class="qt-msonormal1"> <o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class="qt-msonormal1"><span class="font"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">Biden's COVID relief bill includes $400/week unemployment benefits until September. </span></span><o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class="qt-msonormal1"><span class="font"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"> </span></span><o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class="qt-msonormal1"><span class="font"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">Normally, if you voluntarily quit a job, you are not eligible for unemployment benefits. However, a person can qualify for these benefits if they quit because they "fear'
contracting COVID at their job.</span></span><o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class="qt-msonormal1"><span class="font"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"> </span></span><o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class="qt-msonormal1"><span class="font"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">I
<b><u>know</u></b> that my job has an enhanced risk for contracting COVID.</span></span><o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class="qt-msonormal1"><span class="font"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"> </span></span><o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class="qt-msonormal1"><span class="font"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">So should I quit and earn 400/wk for the next six months — tax free.</span></span><o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class="qt-msonormal1"><span class="font"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"> </span></span><o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class="qt-msonormal1"><span class="font"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">Or continue earning 300/week that is taxed.</span></span><o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class="qt-msonormal1"><span class="font"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"> </span></span><o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class="qt-msonormal1"><span class="font"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">No one but myself would ever know if I "feared" contracting COVID at that job</span></span><o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class="qt-msonormal1"><span class="font"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"> </span></span><o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class="qt-msonormal1"><span class="font"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">davew</span></span><o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">- .... . -..-. . -. -.. -..-. .. ... -..-. .... . .-. .<o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv<o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">Zoom Fridays 9:30a-12p Mtn GMT-6 <a href="http://bit.ly/virtualfriam">bit.ly/virtualfriam</a><o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">un/subscribe <a href="http://redfish.com/mailman/listinfo/friam_redfish.com">http://redfish.com/mailman/listinfo/friam_redfish.com</a><o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">FRIAM-COMIC <a href="http://friam-comic.blogspot.com/">http://friam-comic.blogspot.com/</a><o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">archives: <a href="http://friam.471366.n2.nabble.com/">http://friam.471366.n2.nabble.com/</a><o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
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