Paying a homeless person to eat dog poop

[spamuell]

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It's like dangling someone over a vat of lava and saying that if they eat dog poop you will rescue them but otherwise they will shortly fall to their death. You could say that if they don't wish to eat the poop that's their right, but actually they have no effective choice.



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The lava thing is a horrible analogy. The bum was not put in this siutation by the supersize me guy. He is not responsible for his situation in the least.


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It is entirely irrelevant whether or not the supersize me guy is responsible for the bum's situation, or whether the person offering to save someone from falling into lava in return for them eating dog poop is responsible for that situation.

Take the person offering to save someone from falling into lava. Say they were walking along near a volcano and happened to come across someone being dangled over the lava and then offered them the same deal that they'd only prevent them falling to their death if they ate dog poop. Would it be ok?

Responsibility for the situation that the person is in is not the issue here. What is wrong is taking advantage of someone's lack of choice, regardless of whether you put them in that situation.

[Jakesta]

Jake and spammuell both make good points in this thread.

Here are the main points:

1) There is nothing immoral about paying someone $100 to eat poop. Is it disgusting? Sure it is. But a homeless person needs the $100 bucks and making this practice illegal would hurt their livelihood.

2) We have to examine the reasons behind homelessness. People shouldn't ever have to be homeless and forced to eat feces.

[dr. klopek]

This particular act is immoral, IMO. It is akin to hiring illegal immigrants because you don't have to pay them minimum wage.

The guy doesn't just want to see someone eat [censored]. He wants the homeless guy to do it. He wouldn't go up to his mother and ask her to eat [censored] on camera for $50k. Or whatever a reasonable amount would be. He clearly doesn't value the homeless person as much as a non-homeless person. The reason that he made the proposition that he made to the person that he made it to is predatory.

[jakethebake]

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This particular act is immoral, IMO. It is akin to hiring illegal immigrants because you don't have to pay them minimum wage.

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The only thing immoral about this is the existence of a minimum wage in the first place.

[dr. klopek]

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The only thing immoral about this is the existence of a minimum wage in the first place.

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ugh

[rmarotti]

Nobody has yet even said what they mean by "immoral." I think that might be part of the problem.

[wrto4556]

I think this can be compared to "sweat camps". They have a choice to take the job or not take it, but are put in a situation where they need/have to take the job.

Surely, you would consider sweat camps or child labor immoral?

[CallMeIshmael]

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Surely, you would consider sweat camps or child labor immoral?

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Dont assume too much

[wrto4556]

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Surely, you would consider sweat camps or child labor immoral?

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Dont assume too much

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Thats a little harsh. Eating dog poop isnt as big of a deal, but it's still immoral.

[sthief09]

I think it's immoral only because the price is so low. he's taking advantage of their desparation for money. if he offered them $10,000, or some fair market price for middle class people, that would be different.

I view this as similar to prostitution though slightly different because he's paying such a low price for doing that