arlie shelden wrote:
I have to ask this, really from a standpoint of understanding the implicatinos
of selling this car in question. But really why do we worry about it? I mean
if an individual isn't buying it who cares, maybe it is a scam maybe not.
Why indeed! Well, I can think of several reasons ranging from self
preservation to the moral and ethical issues involved.
If people get away with fleecing others in the sale of cars or
paintings, it impacts the entire market, thereby lessening the value of
your car and mine. (I have seen it happen in the art world.) Now then,
word of such fraud gets around and tends to stigmatize all legitimate
sellers. Victims burned by such fraud are hardly going to become
enthusiasts, join groups such as this, exchange advice and parts, or be
involved in any way in our own little world in which we try to encourage
and help others.
Beyond the practical reasons, there are the ethical and moral issues.
Fraud is, after all, a crime. Like shoplifting or cheating on taxes, it
hurts every honest person. Can there be a rational reason why fraud
should not be reported and stoppped? If not fraud, where IS the line
drawn? Then there is the moral issue that we ARE our brothers' keepers,
and that we should help others. Old-fashioned? Maybe. But it works.
Perhaps too many were not around to learn the lesson of 1964 when 38 of
her neighbors did not want to get involved and stood by as Kitty
Geneovese was repeatedly stabbed and bled to death as they watched.
None of these people wanted to "get involved", leading to what
psychologists now know at the "bystander effect" or Genevese syndrome.
But, that is just my humble opinion.
Buster Evans
Anaheim, California
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