The following Dodgers have been smited by the JDK for their crimes against Jam:
All the girls! for picking on the JDK and damaging his already delicate self esteem!
The Basserd Who Nicked Copper's Stuff For the offense of nicking Copper's stuff. You are a tw*t, whoever you are and we all hope you get run over by a tram in Nottingham. Or Liverpool. Or whereever else they have trams!
Copper For the crime of playing with her Wii instead of her Jammie pals!
I've just posted this over at UA, but I'm sure that I'll get a much more lively response over here:
I've just had a minor ethical debate over an incident that happened yesteday and I wonder what you guys think about it.
Yesterday, the choccy vending machine gave me 2 chunky Kit Kats instead of one.
Now, my colleague has suggested that because it was done in error, I should return the extra chocolate bar to the vending machine owners as to eat it would be an act of theft.
I, on the other hand argue that by giving me 2 bars, the vending company has implicitly entered into a contract with me for the supply of 2 chunky kit kats for the given price. The company understands that this will happen every now and again and writes it off as a cost of doing business, thereby legitimizing my claim to the scrummy choccy bar.
Needless to say, I ate the bonus chunky kit kat this morning and it was all the sweeter for being free!
I weighed in on the other board. I'm a very ethical person. If I see someone drop cash I call their attention to it. If the cashier gives me too much change I return it. But we're talking about chocolate here. Different rules apply. Chocolate, unless acquired through direct theft, should be eaten without guilt. If the machine dropped you two bars for the price of one, it's you're lucky day. Munch on!
I agree with Kenick - I'm always honest. The vending machine GAVE D that chocolate bar - it was a gift. I think though to put my mind at rest, the next time someone comes up to service the machine I would mention to them that the machine suffers from this "fault" and occassionally gives out more than one chocolate bar and point out that it did it to me and I vary kindly disposed of said chocolate bar for them.
Perhaps I should consider it this way: no-one's gonna want a second-hand chocolate bar - it therefore has no resale value. So by disposing of it I've done them a favour. These days you have to pay £50 or so for your old banger to be taken away by the scrap merchant, so perhaps I should be considering charging the vendors a fee for the removal and disposal of their unwanted item.
