By page 4 of this week’s reading, when I hit the line about parents working at General Mills who wouldn’t give their children Cocoa Puffs, I questioned whether it’s at all possible to find a company beyond reproach. Later, the reading paraphrased this directly: “If you adamantly refused to participate in any company that has anything to do with animal testing, then you’re not going to be able to participate in anything.” Even for some of the companies that this reading cites as ethically defensible in their fundamental mission, I’d argue there are pretty significant reasons to stall. Whole Foods, for example, which cites organic farming and good nutrition as its social mission, is now owned by Amazon, which exploits its workers.
I do think that Facebook, a platform that has been repeatedly cited for allowing the spread of outright political misinformation and even allowing political entities to access users’ private data, is a uniquely salient example of an organization many would characterize as unethical. It’s not a stretch to suggest that working for Facebook is morally questionable; I wouldn’t compare the company to General Mills, which simply makes non-nutritious cereal that children are capable of eating.
I wouldn’t choose Facebook as my dream job. If it were my best (most stable, highest-paying) job offer, I would consider it for two reasons. First, I subscribe to the idea that the vast majority of businesses are not completely ethical, and personal responsibility to participate in the economy and provide for your loved ones very often requires some moral compromises. Secondly and more importantly, I do believe that businesses are comprised of individuals and that individuals can make changes. Facebook will continue to exist even if moral people refuse to work for it, and I don’t think it contributes to social wellbeing to leave Facebook exclusively in the hands of morally unscrupulous employees. In some sense, I think it can be equally irresponsible to make businesses with unethical practices “not our problem” by deciding not to interact with them.
