Two Examples Of Ethical Dilemmas

a)
The acts of John and Lisa are despicable. The similarity in both of the acts is that they are using things that belong to me without my permission. Both are causing trouble in different ways and both are stealing something from me.
John taking my car without my consent is unethical. Both of us staying being roommates doesn’t mean he can take anything that belongs to me without my permission. It is clear breach of my 1st Amendment rights. There are lot of risks because of his act. He is not only putting himself at risk but also others. Since he is taking the vehicle during the night then risks are even greater. Where is he going with that vehicle? Is he going to bar or some other place? There is possibility of him killing someone by accident
too. The legal issues that come to the fore depends on his physical state. If he is in normal state, then he will be liable for the damages for the other car and driver with his insurance. But the whole scenario is changed if he is intoxicated. I might be sued, held accountable for his act or possibly jailed. Financially, premium on my car might increase and that might be the least of my problems. At that moment even if I make it clear that I was unaware of him taking my vehicle, it wouldn’t matter much. Everyone will be preoccupied by the gravity of the situation and it will be too late to say anything in my defense.
Now coming to Lisa, what she has done is equally damaging if not more. Though she is not causing any death to anyone directly, there are many scenarios where she can cause lot of trouble to others starting with me. First question that will come to my mind is what is the purpose behind using my laptop? Since she is using my laptop without my consent I have to assume that she is using it for something bad. If she is using it for doing something illegal like hacking into some one’s computer, then the IP address will be traced back to my computer by the law enforcement which means I am in trouble. If she is using to post obscene pictures or hate speech and the other person files a case, then it will put me in spot of bother. If she is impersonating me and chatting with someone I am acquainted with then she can cause serious damage to the relationship that I have with the other person. If she is using my computer to steal my information and use it for something terrible then I can lose my job or money or may be everything. There is even high possibility of identity theft. She can do a lot of damage to my life as she can use all my information against me or for her benefit. Either way I will be in serious trouble.
Since it is mentioned that both the acts were done during the night without my knowledge that means bad news. If it is happening daily, then I would definitely notice the changes in the vehicle and laptop the next day. The next thing I would do is asking them if they have used it. So if they don’t own up the responsibility of their acts then I would be extremely suspicious and things will go down south very quickly. It will lead to break in trust, misunderstanding, arguments and they might even threaten my safety. They were wrong ethically, legally culpable and extremely risky in their acts.
b)
John taking the vehicle has a completely different consequences compared to Lisa using my computer at night.
What John is doing is happening outdoors and restricted to certain geographic area. So there will be lot of witnesses who can report and confirm his acts. The effects of his act are felt almost immediately. If John met with an accident. Then the police will look up license plate and verify registration details instantly. Police will then be at my doorstep. If John is using the vehicle to kidnap someone, then police will first will track down the vehicle and result is the same. The legal implications for both us are imminent. The kidnapped person is at risk because of him and he is risking my stay in this country. Being his roommate, I will be questioned first by the police. Even though I am not in trouble for his kidnapping act, but for taking my car I might still be implicated. Since car belongs to me and he is using it as an accessory to kidnapping or may be even murder then I might be in serious trouble. The situation is similar if he is transporting drugs or even worse like a corpse. Last but not the least, what if he is using the vehicle to blow up some building as a part of his twisted ideology? then under patriot act they will book him but the vehicle will be at the center of their investigation. Then I will once again be questioned and may be jailed. In all the assumptions made, either I am implicated legally or financially or worse. There is no respite for me in any
scenario.
While John is doing everything in open, Lisa’s act is subtler behind the closed door only during that time she is doing it. However, once her actions are completed I will feel the ripple effects of those actions for a long time. She is using the computer inside the four walls which means there is no witness assuming John and Lisa are doing their act at the same time. She is using my laptop without my permission and that laptop may contain personal things which are kept private for a reason. The act of her using my laptop is not only unethical but also disgusting. The damage she can do is global especially by using internet is disturbing.