Scruples

Growing up we had this game in our game collection: Have you got scruples? Scruples... The game that poses 252 moral dilemmas on issues of work, money, friends, family, neighbors and, of course relationships! There are no "Right" answers. When asked a question, you can tell the truth, bluff - or you can "Plead the fifth" and get out of it. The winner is the player who is most successful in guessing how other players will answer their moral dilemmas. So get ready for hours of stimulation talk and laughter. It's a conversation-starter, sentence-stopper, jaw-dropper of a game! Get Scruples!

Let's pretend we are playing this game, kindergarten style. The moral dilemma--you ask your super-nice, gullible locker mate for money. She brings you two $10, thinking she is being nice because you said you have no money. Your mom finds out, calls your locker mate's mom, and you have to bring the money back to school. What should you do with the money?

A. Give it to your locker mate, say sorry, and all is right with the world.

B. Give it to your locker mate, watch her put it in her backpack, then later take the envelope out of her backpack and take the $20 back.

C. Say you lost the envelope on the way to school and keep the money.

If you correctly guessed that Emma's locker mate would do B, then you win!!! Once we had the whole issue with the lost envelope of money, I wondered if the girl didn't just take it right back. Who would want to give up $20 without a fight? Emma came home with the envelope yesterday and said the big sister of her locker mate told her that is what happened. If we are dealing with issues like this when they are 5 and 6, what are we going to have to deal with when they are teenagers?

I remember having a few things "stolen" in my day. One happened at a jr. high dance. I was having a friend spend the night and when we went to leave the dance, her jean jacket was gone. This was the late 80's and it was probably a Guess? jean jacket--big time stuff here. Somehow we knew who took the jacket (either because they left theirs instead, I don't remember) but my mom drove us out to this girl's house in the country to get my friend's jacket back. Another time it happened in gym class that I had a favorite watch stolen. I had gotten this super-cool Fossil watch for a special occasion and I loved it. The glass face had broken at one point and when the jeweler replaced it, they scratched the stone watch face. A while after my watch had gone missing I found someone wearing my watch. How did I know? There was a scratch in the stone. Doesn't anyone have scruples these days?

Speaking of scruples, we were watching a special news segment last night called "Project Economy". A local TV station is doing all these stories to help us get through these tough times. Yeah, they've been really helpful. Anyway, last night they had on a young couple who were savers--saved up to buy their first home, ate at home instead of dining out, bought less music CD's--real earth-shattering information. John recognized the guy as someone who used to work at his old company (who let him go a year ago). After the story aired, the reporter did a follow-up to say that the day after they did the interview, the guy got let go from his job. Once again, the company has wonderful timing. Way to go! We wish he would've said the company name. I'm sure they had to keep letting go the little, unimportant people so the upper management could keep their company cars and nice benefits still.