Have you ever considered informing on a friend?

Posted at 6:00 AM on November 4, 2009 by Eric Ringham (8 Comments)
Filed under: Religion/Ethics

The trial of businessman Tom Petters has focused in part on the testimony of a former friend and partner, who wore a wire to record their conversations. Have you ever considered informing on a friend?

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Comments (8)

NO, NO, NO, of course that depends on what they did.

Posted by Bill Herman | November 13, 2009 3:54 PM

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As I read the previous comments, I am disappointed at our tribal mentality. We protect those we know from those we don't, almost regardlessof right and wrong. If people of different race or religion are in dispute, we tend to take the side of the one most like us.

Wrong is wrong, people.

Posted by kennedy | November 4, 2009 10:53 PM

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On a true friend, NO. Those people are like family to me and I would not inform on my family members. Trust and confidence are essential components of relationships. I would talk with them and if the issue was important enough I would tell them that I could not support them in the action or idea and then leave it up to them.

Posted by Janet | November 4, 2009 9:15 PM

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At a video workplace, a friend and co-worker was making copies of a client's copyrighted master prior to the general release of the content. I was asked where the master was. I had to tell the truth about why it was being copied. The co-worker was dismissed that day. I haven't seen or spoken to him since.

Posted by Paul | November 4, 2009 3:32 PM

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Many years ago a friend married a self-employed man who had not paid his business or personal taxes for many years because of "constitutional issues." I thought of turning him in, but didn't because I did not want to put my friend in such a difficult situation. Eventually, he was found out and prosecuted.

Posted by LInnea | November 4, 2009 2:01 PM

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One good lesson I learned as a drug addict is a strict code of loyalty. Trust and confidence were paramount in this industry. I would go far out of my way to protect even casual associates from the authorities. However, mishandling billions of dollars of other people's money raises ethical problems that personal drug use, in my opinion, does not. Despite my training as a loyalist, I think she did he right thing. Reasonable people can disagree about the risks of marijuana use, but stealing is unequivocally wrong.

Posted by Shawn Boonstra | November 4, 2009 1:45 PM

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Part of being a friend, at least to me, means giving the chance to make things right before informing.

Posted by Sam | November 4, 2009 12:27 PM

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If a "Friend" is swindling / cheating others of hard earned money.... no problem.
I have help get a scum bag drug trafficker boss put in the clink for using a home health care business as a distribution front.
Illegal is Illegal.... that is why our society makes laws.
DTOM.

Posted by James | November 4, 2009 10:27 AM

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