The world in which people live today is full of several challenges and issues. These issues need to be addressed effectively to ensure that the current and future generations live a normal and healthy life. One way through which the problems affecting members of the current society have been addressed is through ethical analysis (Byars & Stanberry, 2018). The meaning of the word ethics has been amplified and changed depending on the kind of issue that people are addressing. In essence, ethics relates to the rules and code that govern the things that people do and the way they interact. The rules can bar people from engaging in certain activities and behaving in a particular way. In other instance, the concept may be perceived to relate to the values that affect the manner in people act and think about things. Every member of society is expected to behave in a manner that is perceived to be ethical. In the movie industry, some beliefs are always portrayed through characters. The producers of some movies use their content to be able to highlight the ethical issues facing members of society. Moreover, they strive to highlight how existing problems should be addressed. This paper aims to explore the ethical issues that are highlighted in the movie Blood Diamond (2006).
Blood Diamond (2006) is a movie that was produced by Edward Zwick. The movie features several stars such as Leonardo Dicaprio, Jennifer Connely, and Dijon Hounsou. The setting of the movie is a reflection of the events that were taking place in Sierra Leon between 1992 and 2002. This was a period of war between the government forces and rebels. The rebels were trying to control the country while the government also strived to remain in charge. The fight between the rebels and the government forces led to the death of many people. Besides, several people lost their lives and property as a result of the war. At the time of the fight, Sierra Leone was considered to be one of the nations with significant resources. However, the infighting in the country made it difficult for them to use the resources effectively and to benefit the local citizens. As the war progressed, there were serious crimes that were being committed. The rebels were always on the rampage killing hundreds of people. Also, the era was characterized by rape, looting, and all sorts of social crime. It meant that the locals were denied the right to live a peaceful and meaningful life. As the movie progresses, the viewer is taken through a conference that was held in South Africa in 2000. The conflict was meant to end the conflict that was taking place in Sierra Leone. The conferences culminated in the Kimberly Process Certification Scheme. The scheme was ratified in the same year and was meant to be used as the basis for determining the source of diamond that was being used to fuel conflict in Sierra Leon. The participants argued that by reducing and stopping the trade in illegal diamonds, they could end the war and give locals the chance to live a normal life.
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One of the ethical issues that are addressed in the book is child labor. Children require the support of adults so that they can live a normal life and succeed in their roles. Besides, they need to be supported to overcome some of the life challenges that they experience. In the movie, however, the viewer is introduced to a setting in which child labor was rampant. The children were being kidnapped from their villages and forced to work for the rebels. The children worked in horrifying and dangerous underwater mines. Those that were kidnapped were not able to continue with their education, access medical care, and live a normal life. This is an ethical issue since it goes against the values of society. In a normal society, adults take it upon themselves to guide their children and help them to succeed in life. In the movie, however, the rebels seem to be going against this ethical requirement when they force young people to engage in labor activities in horrifying settings. The ethical issue was addressed through the Kimberly Process Certification Scheme which aimed to stop the trade in the diamond. Those who came up with the Scheme believed that when they stopped the trade, it would be possible to protect the children from being kidnapped and forced to work in mines.
The second ethical issue was the involvement of the business leaders and government officials in the illegal diamond trade. The government is the custodian of the law and should be leading by example (Byars & Stanberry, 2018). Those who occupy government positions should engage in activities that promote the interest of the local communities and the entire nation. Besides, they should formulate policies that contribute to the development of the country. In the movie, this is not the case as the government is going against its ethical obligations. The government officials are colluding with high-end businessmen to trade in diamonds illegally. These are illegal and unethical activities that are affecting the livelihood of the local communities. The problem is also addressed in the movie by calling upon the government officials and the local businessmen to stop the illegal diamond trade. The calls seem to be falling on deaf years initially as the trade continued for some time. In the end, however, government officials reduced their involvement in the trade after they were denied access to the illegal diamond that they were trading in.
Finally, there is the issue of environmental damage. The environment is a critical factor that determines how people live their lives. It is the source of raw materials that can be exploited to initiate economic growth (Byars & Stanberry, 2018). However, the fight between the rebels and government forces has resulted in environmental damage. Besides, various parties were clearing the forests to create room for mines. Such activities have adverse effects on the environment. In some cases, the crude mining methods that were being used in the country resulted in the land, water, and air pollution. This is a serious concern since it would affect the livelihood of the current and future generations. The problem was addressed by enlightening the perpetrators of the acts about the dangers of their activities. Also, it was important to work with locals to promote environmental protection.
From the foregoing discussion, it is evident that communities usually face a wide range of problems that affect their wellbeing. In some cases, the activities of those in the paper can result in dangerous outcomes for the citizens. The film that was analyzed in this paper highs some of the ethical issues that exist in Africa. The movie shows how rebels, local communities, government officials, and business leaders engage in practices that were against the existing laws, regulations, codes of behavior, and value systems. These are issues that business people must address so that they can contribute to the wellbeing of local communities and the country as a whole. Businesses must abide by the laws that govern them and must be ethical in their dealings. Failure to follow the law and engaging in unethical behavior taints the image of a business and often leads to failure of the business since customers lose trust in such a business. There is, therefore, need to regularly assess whether an organization’s practices are going against community standards within which it operates if such a business is to succeed.
References
Byars, S. M., & Stanberry, K. (2018). Business ethics .
