Food Fight - Forcing Morality

This episode reminded me of the ‘good Samaritan law’, which enforces moral behaviors to people. The attitude of Gladwell toward Bowdoin College is extremely critical. He insists us not to go there. Suggesting such opinion means that we should inflict severe punishment to those who doesn’t pay aids for the underprivileged. Those aids are moral matters, which are not mandatory. But Gladwell thinks that those moralities should be applied to every single college. I thought Gladwell’s opinion as the same context with the ‘good Samaritan law’.

I am actually against the ‘good Samaritan law’. I understand the purpose and I’m one hundred percent with the opinion that aids based on moral obligation are needed. But what we’re talking about is different with whether an individual is for the social welfare for equality of opportunity. The problem in this podcast and the ‘good Samaritan law’ is that they drive morality forced by other people.

Myself mentioning the ‘good Samaritan law’ was to provide the logical similarity to the reason why I want to criticize Gladwell in this podcast.

Someone can’t force others to do or not to do something because it’s morally right. Gladwell orders us like, “don’t go to Bowdoin”. That’s terribly wrong. There won’t be any ultimate truth or ultimate objective that everyone should follow. So we have to be careful when we’re saying something as logical truth. But going to the colleges those providing aids to the underprivileged is only one’s choice. One’s choice should be carried out by the handler of that choice. The conclusion from that one’s logic is the individual’s own truth. But Gladwell determines that choice by only himself, in the form of the podcast. Communication in podcast is only one way. We are at a confluence with DJ’s opinion. We only get the information the DJ’s giving us, and without noticing, their opinions dominate our mind. That strong opinion of Malcom Gladwell, an order not to go to Bowdoin, will be imprinted to listeners. Authorized commands are merely an incitement which paralyzes the public. The role of public figures is not to command, but to provide much information and lead logical thinking of the people to the right path. I think morality shouldn’t be forced by others, but only to be aided to people for logical deduction of themselves.