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To: chris37
"If I get into an argument with someone, let’s say because I am having a bad day, this person does something stupid in front of me, I call them out for it, tell them what for and then that person goes home and kills themselves, am I somehow responsible for their action?"

It goes to intent. If you have a coworker, employee, friend, or even a complete stranger that does something stupid, and you "call them out," I would suggest that ultimately, your actions are not malicious, but rather have that person's betterment or safety at their core. Of course some people are more tactful and skilled about it than others, but even if you cuss somebody out for running a red light, you're ultimately pointing out to them that they violated an agreed upon rule of the road and that their persistance in doing so endangers others and themselves. Of course you may do so in a series of foul expletives, but at its base, it's actually a civilizing action since the other person violated common sense, convention and societal norms of behavior. That's not the malicious intent to which I am speaking; you're actually in a sense, giving that person advice to improve their behavior.

Now, if you walk up to a random person in a mall and start berating them just to make them feel small and embarass them and they then go and kill their self, you may not have any legal culpability, but if indeed that was the straw that broke the camel's back so to speak, that your belittling of the person was just the latest in a long string of events unknown to even you, then yes, you have at least a small degree of moral culpability.

59 posted on 12/09/2012 12:30:22 PM PST by Joe 6-pack (Que me amat, amet et canem meum)
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To: Joe 6-pack

“Now, if you walk up to a random person in a mall and start berating them just to make them feel small and embarass them and they then go and kill their self, you may not have any legal culpability, but if indeed that was the straw that broke the camel’s back so to speak, that your belittling of the person was just the latest in a long string of events unknown to even you, then yes, you have at least a small degree of moral culpability. “

The only thing the person in this example is morally culpable for is being a jerk.

If the person who was berrated goes and kills themselves after because the world is full of jerks and they were tired of jerks being jerks to them, then they killed themselves.


62 posted on 12/09/2012 1:09:34 PM PST by chris37 (Heartless.)
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