A response by Aliza Wiedenbaum

Earlham College Alum

Oberlin Resident

As always, The Ethical Obie is interested in furthering discussions among students and citizens of Oberlin. This week’s column features an article written in response to last week’s discussion of ethics and methods of using — and confronting users of — the “take out” plastic containers available in Dascomb. Thank you, Aliza.

The Ethical Obie

The goal of this response is:  Have food service policy meetings. Decide together whether any portion of the food service budget should buy ‘single-use junk’ containers. By taking communal responsibility, prevent conflicts over artificially personal responsibility.

First, let me stress a distinction between ‘content’ and ‘process.’  An example of content is the belief that it is morally wrong to use ‘one-time-use landfill-bound’ food containers. An example of process — a means of enacting content — is using a routine decision-making process to make a policy or ban on purchasing and supplying such containers. I will be suggesting both specific content (specific policies) and specific processes (decision-making processes).

The point of my response is to say that, in a matter like this, the more important issue is institutional ethics, not personal ethics.

I would like to suggest this ethic: “that we should make common decisions about common (shared) resources.”   

These shared resources include the food service budget (that is comprised of everyone’s meal plan dollars) and the natural resources involved in producing throwaway cups, containers, utensils and napkins.

I would also like to suggest: “where there is a common will, there should be a common way.”

A simple common way is to have meetings for everyone interested and proxies for people who wish that they could be there. The dining service will carry out the will of the meetings of which, of course, it is a part.

If there is common agreement that landfill-trash containers should not be used, the meeting can surely find a way to carry out this will (and work out the details). Individually, people could still bring in trash-bound single-use containers or bags and put their food in them, but the collective food provider would not be making this the norm.

The Oberlin Student Co-operative Association already models this communal decision-making process to a great extent. If the rest of the College creates somewhat similar collective routine decision-making mechanisms, moral decisions about resource-use practices can be decided without relatively artificial and burdensome conflicts about ‘personal responsibility.’

I will risk overstatement:  Show me a perceived conflict, and I’ll show you a lack of process.

E-mail your ethical questions or responses to theethicalobie@gmail.com