Ethics and Etiquette

Our response to the disruption caused by Coronavirus can shape how we cope with upheaval, disappointment, and change in the future. In this episode, we talk about staying positive and connected during challenging times. What do you do when life throws you a curve ball? We offer some options by taking a look at the gifts available to us under the circumstances: The Gifts of Time, Unity, Compassion, Connection, Perspective, and Gratitude.

The Coronavirus brings stricter social etiquette rules which boil down to “Keep Your Hands to Yourself.” Before, you might shake hands or hug and kiss to greet someone. These days, and for the near future, experts suggest you swap traditional greetings with elbow bumps, fist bumps, waves, or namaste bows. NBA players are urged not to high five fans. At Catholic Mass, churchgoers skip the traditional sign of peace handshake and forego wine from a common cup. Starbucks no longer allows customers to bring their own mugs. The threat of Coronavirus transmission is changing long-held practices, and we’re going to talk about those today.

This is the first of two episodes in which we examine the far-reaching ramifications of sharing your DNA using an at-home kit. When you send your DNA to be sequenced and interpreted, you may be confronted with results you didn't see coming. It's happened enough times that the DNA testing companies now include warnings with their terms and conditions. Informed consent and the ethical challenges of DNA databases are the subjects of this episode.

Our topic this week revolves around Shopping Carts, and all the existential questions which arise from our handling and mishandling of these innocuous devices.

If you watched the State of the Union broadcast this month, you saw Sergeant First Class Townsend Williams of Fort Bragg reunited with his wife and children on live television. Sergeant Williams wasn’t due to return from Afghanistan for several months, but they brought him home early for a reunion.

This is only the most recent example of our society’s love affair with surprise reunions. A boy was recently surprised in front of his entire school when his soldier mother stepped out of a large package at a school assembly. Two military children who threw out the first pitch at the Yankees game were astonished to find that when the two catchers removed their masks, they were their parents, both active duty and returned from deployments.

Heartwarming, inspiring, popular, yes. Just google “surprise reunion” and you’ll see how many views these videos get. What’s behind their popularity? Some have a problem with surprising the children. Others say there’s nothing wrong with celebrating a service member coming home safely. Tune in as we discuss the pros and cons.

Because it's such a meaningful topic with lots of real-life material, we added a second part to our episode on Inheritance. This one is chock-full of good information and advice on how to avoid the pitfalls that families face when prior arrangements aren't made.

We've all heard about sordid stories that unfold around families and money. In our discussion today, we take a look at some and suggest ways to avoid uncomfortable situations in the future.

We explain the differences in the three categories of animals you see in restaurants, stores, and airplanes these days. Are they legitimate cases, or are some people misusing the designations for selfish reasons? We talk about how society can address these misunderstandings and abuses through education.

We discuss a list of totally inexcusable breaches of cell phone etiquette. Are you guilty of any of them? Even the Pope weighs in with his own message about mobile phone discipline.

Since we started this podcast in July 2019, we've talked about weddings and workplace ethics, gossip and gift-giving, small stuff and big stuff like paths to redemption. Join us as we reflect on what we've done and what we look forward to in 2020.