Replying to LO27716 --
Ray,
It is really great to hear from you, and yes, you are correct. I was
having exactly the same thoughts in response to some other e-mails that
crossed my "desk" regarding holding each other accountable. There are
terrible costs for setting oneself up as moral guardian, especially if one
is among the less powerful. First and foremost, each individual must take
care him/herself, and secondarily of one's loved ones. The role of
"guardian for the rest of us" must be way down on the list of priorities.
On the other hand, I have read that many Enron employees bought stock
based on Kenneth Lay's say-so when the stock was worth a buck or so,
versus a high value of $80. There was substantial counter-vailing
information that it was at least a questionable thing to do, and quite a
few knowledgeable people thought Enron stock was a bad idea. Those
employees who took Lay's advice had other options. That is the "deference
to authority" I was thinking about when I wrote those words. To ask one
or many of the "powerless" to do more than to act thoughtfully for
themselves would, I agree, be too much to ask.
When you say there are insufficient safeguards against illegal acts I
agree. There is no doubt that Enron leadership committed felonies (I
hazard that opinion prior to the trial, but I am confident). On the other
hand, the line between the brilliant shyster and brilliant mad scientist
is a thin one. It will always be difficult to prevent in advance the kind
of behavior that Enron leadership displayed.
It is great to hear your voice.
Rol
>This seems to me to be speaking too much for the responsibility of the
>powerless. The people who seem to have lost in this tragedy would have
>been adversely impacted, all the way around, if they had resisted the
>pressure. It seems that the problem is more systemic in that there are
>insufficient safeguards against illegal and at the very least immoral
>acts that will eventually endanger the whole system. People incapable of
>dealing from the long term and with little empathy for their fellow human
>beings.
--"Rol Fessenden" <rol@fessenden.net>
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