A moral question
As I walk up Tottenham Court Road, accosted on all side by the wielders of brochures for cheap international phone calls, "PC modding*", "mobile phone unlocking", and other obscure goods and services I'm unlikely to ever to use, should I:
1. Take one from the poor shivering individual waving it under my nose, on the ground that they'll thereby be able to get somewhere warm faster. (Since I suspect they are paid a piece rate.)
2. Refuse it on the ground that this is killing trees, wasting ink, the energy used to transport it here, etc?
* Slang for modification. (I had to look it up.)
posted by Natalie Bennett at 12/13/2005 05:57:00 pm
5 Comments:
If it's standard size and only printed on one side, take it --you can run it through your printer later, and prevent the waste.o
Unfortunately they're usually printed on smaller-sized, glossy paper, so this isn't an option ...
I would take option 2. If you take one brochure your moral code will probably then nag at you take a brochure from all those accosting you. Then you will be spending so much time accepting brochures that it will leave you no time for the great reviews you do of dramas, museums, etc.
Yes, I agree with Option 2 - it's sacrificing the good of the individual for that of the masses and therefore makes one feel terrible as you do it. But it's the Right Thing and therefore Must Be Done.
I may have been reading too much eighteenth century naval fiction though :).
Thanks Philip!
I can see the influence on you Ally, and Laurelin I'm lucky in that the recycling bin is right outside my front gate. But I guess I should go for No 2 ...
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