6. In the fourth paragraph, Appiah writes, How serious the betrayal is depended, in part, on what she's doing with these recordings." Do you agree with this statement? Are they different levels of betrayal? Explain your answer. 7. Appiah talks about diplomacy in the fifth paragraph. Define the word diplomacy. Using your definition of diplomacy, write a complete sentence. 8. List four (4) words from the NY Times post (not including the terms listed in this assignment) that you learned from reading the post. 1. 2. 3. 4. 9. What advice would you give to the writer about her question? Tell her why you believe. Type your response to the writer's question. Your answer must be typed in MLA format and is worth 20 points. THE ETHICIST Is It OK That My Sister Secretly Records Our Dad for Laughs? 182 05 Access more of The Times by creating a free account or logging in Is It OK That My Sister Secretly Records Our Dad for Laughs? By Kwame Anthony Appiah a Jan. 19, 2021 My sister revealed that she often records phone conversations that she has with our father without his knowledge. She says she does it because he is so "funny," i.e., eccentric, but I get the impression that she is laughing more at him than with him. I find his conversations less humorous than distressing, since he is often, at the best of times, in a state of heightened psychological dysregulation and anxiety, and the pandemic has just made things worse. Because of my sister's behavior, my niece has grown up thinking there's nothing wrong or unethical with recording conversations without the other person's knowledge or consent and has herself started to do this. When I found out what my sister was doing, I was uneasy and told her that it was illegal to record someone without their consent. Her rapid retort was, "It's not in New York," where she lives, as if that made it OK. I did not address my ethical concerns and am uncertain Access more of The Times by creating a free account or logging in. o a 1-or-laugns.htn Is It OK That My Sis er Secretly Records Our Dad for Laughs? When I found out what my sister was doing, I was uneasy and told her that it was illegal to record someone without their consent. Her rapid retort was, It's not in New York," where she lives, as if that made it OK. I did not address my ethical concerns and am uncertain how to do so now, because my sister can be rather vicious, and I fear her wrath. At the same time, I think that it's terrible that she is recording my father, who would feel hurt and humiliated if he knew, and that her daughter is learning that this is OK. It flies in the face of the Golden Rule. I've thought about telling my father but don't think that's a good course of action. I don't know what effect my calling her to task on the behavior would have except to alienate her. Do I just let it all go? Just because Siri and Alexa do it all the time I do not own or support use of either -- doesn't mean the rest of us should. Name Withheld "It isn't illegal" is the first refuge of a scoundrel - or anyway, of people who know they're doing something sketchy. Many of the Access more of The Times by creating a free account or logging in. "It isn't illegal is the first refuge of a scoundrel or anyway, of people who know they're doing something sketchy. Many of the most hurtful, cruel and de picable things people do are perfectly lawful. (And some unlawful things are perfectly harmless.) The point isn't that it's always wrong to record people without their consent. There are instances in which a citizen may well have reason to record a conversation with a law-enforcement officer, for example. But in family conversations, we have a reasonable expectation that our remarks are not being captured for posterity. Your sister is betraying your father's trust. How serious the betrayal is depends, in part, on what she's doing with these recordings. Is she playing them back to herself for kicks and giggles before drifting off to sleep? Or does she share clips with a WhatsApp group chat? In any case, she probably wouldn't be making them if they weren't going to be listened to, and you're rightly troubled by actions that would wound your father if he Access more of The Times by creating a free account or logging in. Is It OK That My Sist Secretly Records Our Dad for Laughs? I can't advise you on the di lomacy here, but your reference to the Golden Rule suggests that you might ask her to imagine how she'd feel about a friend who secretly recorded conversations with her, replaying them to whome er she pleased. In one way or another, you should let your sister now that what she's doing isn't OK. You might tell her too that if she doesn't stop, you'll have to consider letting your father know what's up, so that he can decide if and how he wants to talk to her on the phone. Edita Unlock more free articles. Create an account or log in I hope he can be spared that. While I'm generally in favor of letting people know the truth about the people around them, I suspect that the value to him of learning what she has done won't be worth the pain. If your sister plans to continue, however, the issue isn't just about the past, which is unchangeable, but about the future, which Access more of The Times by creating a free account or logging in. AA .google.com nytimes.com The New York Times SUBSCRIBE NOW LOG IN THE ETHICIST Is It OK That My Sister Secretly Records Our Dad for Laughs? Tomi Um Is It OK That My Sister Secretly Records Our Dad for Laughs? to her and stand up for what you believe, will she respect you more? Or just unleash the wrath you fear? I won't venture a guess. But unless that wrath extends to more than railing at you, you'll recover soon enough, and with the reassurance that you weren't complicit in an unsavory practice. Finally, a few points about those digital voice assistants you mention. First, the tech giants who offer these services like Google, Amazon and Apple - have told us that they're recording us. Second, they have taken some measures to anonymize the material. And third, users have the option of taking protective measures: They can, say, clear Siri's history in an iPhone's device menu or adjust Alexa's privacy settings so that audio recordings will be deleted after some interval or simply never retained. ("Alexa, delete everything I said today" works, too. These services may not function as well in these conditions, but it's up to us to decide what trade-offs we're comfortable with. Your sister isn't providing your father any such choices. Access more of The Times by creating a free account or logging in