If you like moral questions you’ll help me answer this one.
Lillian is having coffee with a small group of her friends, including Elmagoop. Elmagoop is an Egyptian immigrant who professes the standard Egyptian views about Jews controlling the media, Israel running U.S. foreign policy, the validity of the Protocols of the Elders of Zion and has said that the Jews got out of the World Trade Tower before the planes collided with it. In short, a neo-Nazi Arab.
Harry, a friend of Lillian’s, approaches the table, says “Good morning” to everyone he knows and Lillian has to introduce him to Elmagoop, who he doesn’t know. Harry is a Holocaust survivor.
Moral question: (a) Does Lillian have any responsibilities in this case? (b) Would she have any responsibility if Harry appears ready to sit down and join the group?
Change the issue to see how it influences your moral position. Elmagoop spent one year in prison on a hit and run homicide case and Harry just lost a child in a hit and run incident.
Change the issue again. Elmagoop is a registered sex offender out of prison for several years and Harry’s youngest daughter was raped a year ago.
What is the appropriate moral reaction to (a) and (b)? How does your reaction change when the hit-and-run issues or the sex offender issue is introduced?
My answer is that .....
My answer is that in the case of (a), Lillian has the responsibility to
phone Harry after the breakfast and apologize for the circumstances
that required her to introduce Harry to an anti-Semite. In case (b), Lillian must ask Harry to step away from the table and tell him about
Elmagoop. Lillian should let Harry decide whether to join the group.
My view doesn’t change with either of the alternative hit-and-run or
sex offender considerations.