You Thought Your Workplace Was Messed-Up?

     A news commentator/host at a major cable news network recently remarked live on the air that homeless people who refused official help should be given, "[...I]nvoluntary lethal injections.  Just kill them."

     That's shocking stuff, and he later apologized for it, in very much a "my bosses are making me do this" manner.  Even more shocking is that when he advocated killing unhoused persons who wouldn't cooperate, neither one of of his two co-hosts objected.  One, who had already suggested such people should be locked up, replied, "Yep."  The other host did not so much as blink.

     I'm not going to name any of them, or even the network.  If you're curious, any search engine will find video and news stories with full details.  Nope, I'm here to point out that it takes a pretty askew newsroom culture for "euthanize recalcitrant homeless people" to be an acceptable casual comment, one your co-workers nod along with and don't call out.

     Don't go along with that stuff.  Killing people is not okay.  It is a crime.  The only exceptions are after due process of law and criminal conviction, and it's rare even then; in self-defense from imminent harm (and it generally gets careful legal scrutiny); and in the course of actual warfare (and even some killings in war can count as crimes).  Eschew evil; don't treat people as things, pieces to be taken off the board to suit your or society's convenience.  There are lots of terrible, awful, annoying or lousy people in this world, but very few are criminals and they have just as much right to exist as anyone.

     (I suppose some realpolitik type will comment to shake his head in condescending sadness over my naivete.  I'm not saying it doesn't happen; I'm not saying there aren't vicious folks around who might do abrupt and grievous bodily harm to strangers.  This isn't about them.  It's about you, and me, and the ethical standards any decent person ought to hold for themselves and uphold for society.)