I am seventy five years old. I was a young boy during WWII. It was commonplace to be exposed to stories about the Germans in which children were rewarded to come forward to snitch on their parents or family. These young children were following the Nazi propaganda line.
Many adults looked in dismay as a country rewarded children for being whistle blowers. It was considered an abominable breach of most American's ethics.
Now in America we reward, with substantial gifts, those who help our Justice Department and SEC prosecutors capture and then punish who are often their friends and colleagues. Our sense of justice is to tell people if you whistle blow, you can get rich and if necessary go into the witness protection program.
As Americans we have actually come to accept this as an appropriate approach to the pursuit of crimes.
I have great difficulty understanding how we abhor the actions of the children of Germany, but find little ability to speak about whether we want such behavior in our own country.
Many adults looked in dismay as a country rewarded children for being whistle blowers. It was considered an abominable breach of most American's ethics.
Now in America we reward, with substantial gifts, those who help our Justice Department and SEC prosecutors capture and then punish who are often their friends and colleagues. Our sense of justice is to tell people if you whistle blow, you can get rich and if necessary go into the witness protection program.
As Americans we have actually come to accept this as an appropriate approach to the pursuit of crimes.
I have great difficulty understanding how we abhor the actions of the children of Germany, but find little ability to speak about whether we want such behavior in our own country.
