Ethics and Etiquette

The old rhyme goes, "finders keepers, losers weepers," so does that mean anything we find on the street is ours to keep? Is there a moral or legal imperative to try and locate the owner of a wallet you discovered in the airport waiting area? Or imagine this: landscapers in your yard dig up a safe filled with $50, 000 worth of cash and jewelry (true story). It's on your property--does it belong to you? Join us for our thought-provoking discussion on this episode of Ethics and Etiquette.

In this discussion, we talk about redemption (in the secular sense). What do we really believe about redemption after misdeeds? We all love a good redemption story, but what is the path to get there? How long does it take and what does it entail? How do we know when someone has walked it? We use three real-life scenarios for this tough conversation: Friends disagree on reconciling with a man after he serves a ten-year prison term for killing his wife; Retired NFL player Michael Vick's involvement in a dog fighting and gambling ring; and the controversies surrounding the charity known as the Wounded Warrior Project.

Does this mean we're regressing to the topic of ordinary gossip? Hardly. This week we return to everyday dilemmas, per the advice of some listeners who said they liked the "relatable" scenarios. Join us as we attempt to answer questions about devastating gossip and how much forthrightness you should show a friend.

It's the Thanksgiving season, so we devote an episode to--what else?--thank-you notes. In this ultra-modern electronic age, are handwritten thank-you notes a quaint relic of a bygone era? We discuss ten occasions where they're still appropriate and give you some pointers on how to write one. In the email department, a listener asks about acceptable behavior at a rock concert. Does it include standing up and dancing?

Doctors, dentists, and other service providers remind us of scheduled appointments with repeated text messages and robo-calls. Does this mean there's an epidemic of missed appointments and late cancellations?

In this show devoted to the "etiquette" side of our subject matter, a listener asks, "With etiquette in mind, how do we best have respectful, positive political discussions?" We also take on three more tricky tangles. What should you do if you don't get invited to a good friend's annual New Year's Day party when you always got an invitation in the past? Secondly, should someone tear out a hedgerow on his property if it will change the quality of the next-door-neighbor's yard? The last dilemma involves leaving your long-time hairstylist while she's on maternity leave and then wanting to stay with the substitute after she returns.

A listener asks, "How did you get to be experts?" We then talk about the ubiquitous phrase "drinking the Kool-aid." Since it refers to a sad event in American history, are we being insensitive if we use it in an off-hand way? Also, suggestions for what to do if conversations take a racist, sexist, or otherwise offensive turn.

We take on the touchy subject of gifting, re-gifting, and asking that gifts be returned (is that ever appropriate?). What happens when a homemade quilt given for a special occasion becomes the family dog bed? Or the graduation present of a car comes with the payment book attached? Join us to explore these tricky scenarios and more on this episode.

Travel is intense and exciting, but it's also aggravating at times. Crowded planes, trains, and buses can lead to uncomfortable situations. This week we take a look at ways to resolve them peacefully.

In this episode we talk about responsible dog ownership and what to do if someone in your circle isn't practicing it.