Money or ethics?

Is it ethical?


     I step out the door, eyes set on finding a job. When I get downtown I look around. The first thing I see is a Burger King. I sigh, walk in, and take an application. I am a vegetarian, looking for a job. The only place that always seems to be hiring is fast food chains. Being a vegetarian, is it unethical for me to take this job?

     McDonalds is one of the highest sellers of chicken meat. Burger King is the second most popular fast food chain in America. Is it ethical for a person who doesn’t eat any meat, work for the highest chicken meat seller? It’s hard to say. There are many pros and cons in this situation.

     Pros:
• One pro towards taking the job is that, well, you have a job. You are making money and can start to be independent. It’s tough to find a job with the economy the way it is.
• Another pro is that you won’t spend your pay check there. Let me explain. When someone works in a mall, for example, they are more likely to spend their pay check at the mall, then anywhere else. On the way to work, if they see something they like just after payday, they might give into impulse and buy that item. A vegetarian working at McDonalds will definitely not spend their money at the facility.

     Cons:
• A con –and personally the biggest issue- is that I am a vegetarian, working in a place that is strictly non-vegetarian. In the U.S. alone, more than 9.5 billion chickens are inhumanely slaughtered each year.
• Another con is that a vegetarian would be promoting the industry by working there. They would be giving them working people, which will attract more customers. More customers mean more animals will have to be killed to meet the needs.
• It is morally not acceptable, and quite frankly, it’s disgustingly hypocritical. It’s like selling a clock and asking what time it is.
• The pay is bad. Many people who work at McDonalds complain about how they are paid.
     A vegetarian working at McDonalds is hypocritical and unethical. Personally, I will only ever work at a fast food restaurant as a last resort. If I ever need a job, I will do anything to keep away from these vegetarian horror houses.