Project Runway

     Watching Project Runway and it definitely relates to ethics.  There are rules that go with being a contestant on the show.  One very important rule is that the contestants are not allowed to have any instructional materials such as pattern making or how-to books.  Infraction of this rule can lead to dismissal from the show.
     On this particular episode, the contestants were to be broken up into groups of three to make items for Macy's.  The winners will have their outfit sold in Macy's stores.  They were given budgets with which to purchase their materials.
     Each team has a team leader who, in turn, chooses their teammates.
     One gentleman, who had been successfully progressing throughout the show, chose two teammates based upon their expertise in areas where he was lacking.  He was the one to actually sketched the outfit according to his vision of what Macy's customers would want to purchase.
     First, the contestant in question, talked the fabric store into giving him discounts to make his budget since he was clearly overspent.  Next, they showed his competitors whispering about materials that he had in his possession.  They were deliberating as to whether they should or should not tell the producers, whether they should speak with him themselves. They decided that they should take the matter up with the producers of the show.
      I thought it was interesting that the other competitors tried to make it seem as if they were doing what was best for the integrity of the show.  It was easy to tell that they saw it as a way to easily eliminate someone to keep themselves from being eliminated from the show since the offending competitor was doing so well week after week.
     In the end, the competitor was sent home packing and his fellow teammates were left to execute the making of the outfit on their own.  The outcome of the episode is that none of the competitors who "ratted" him out were sent home so their strategy worked.   
     So, are we as a society capable of making ethical decisions.  Of course we are.  But it takes a  special person to overwrite basic instincts and always make the right decisions in every situation.