Unethical Conduct Essay

4. Why is there a double standard placed on public officials regarding liability for conduct that is accepted when acted by private citizens? In the chapter of “Liability: What Should Be the Consequence of Unethical Conduct,” it argues from an ethical viewpoint that the double standard applied to the public officials is misleading and that it is necessary to disregard the social status when it comes to determining the consequences of equal wrongdoing. This tendency for the public to criticize and judge public officials harsher for their wrongdoings is often rationalized by the belief that “they should have known better.” In most ethical misconduct, most reasonable individual all know better whether the decision they are making
Therefore, it is better to admit personal faults before the public finds out and in turn assumes the wrongdoer to be covering up and not willing to take responsibility for their own actions. In my personal experience as a student, I can also relate to how this role could bring upon impressions, and therefore the expected conduct of how a student should behave. For example, a student that commits in academic dishonesty is dealt with harsh consequences because students are expected to be honest and hardworking. Cheating does not only go against this expectation of how an ideal student should behave like, but the consequences that follow are therefore harsh because the student has failed to live up to their responsibility and duty. In every course that I took, the syllabus always has a few pages on the expectations within the classroom and the conduct required of the student. This does not only mean that the student fully knows about the rules and consequences, but it also implicates the responsibility of this role onto the student. Therefore, the student is expected to behave in a certain way and if they choose not to, they will not be punished solely because they know better,