To comment, or not to comment. That is the ethical question.

Dear RP-BP bloggers,

Problem with someone like me with an impressive bipolar disorder is that sometimes I go "deliciously" manic. Like now, off in space, all over the place and unable to restrain myself, and before I know it I end up damaging others and myself. Damaging others like you, for instance, with this way too long posting - Sorry! :) But consider this an experiment where I'm asking for your feedback and maybe you can help me before I do something completely stupid. Again.

Here's what happened. Yesterday I logged on to my Shell computer. Once the corporate home page had loaded I accidently clicked on a link and the following video started to play - production courtesy of a Welsh police department:



Turns out there is such a thing as "ShellTube" these days and it is used, amongst others, to promote a subject that is very near and dear to my employer's "heart": HSSE or Health, Safety, Security and Environment. Or so they remind me 24/7. Especially road safety is a very big deal. So, I end up watching the video. Plus reading a huge number of enthusiastic comments by colleagues worldwide who have also watched it and posted loyalistic party-line comments. All one-liners like:
- Good/great/excellent/fantastic video! [stopping short of saying they enjoyed watching it];
- Bring it on, we need more clips like this one;
- Excellent educational value;
- Makes me cry every time I watch it [how many times did you watch it?!];
- We must force people to watch this clip before you give them a company cell phone;
- Etcetera.

I start to think about it. Happens. And I ended up drafting the following comment. Please let me know what you think. Manic wisdom or depressed stupidity to post something like this? Save others from me and/or save me from myself? I value your opinion. I won't post the comment (I hope not, I'd lose my job if I would) but I'm very interested to hear what you think. Whether you even understand the point I'm trying to make. I discussed it with several colleagues and many (engineers!) don't even seem to get it. Some do.

Here goes my 10-point diatribe .....

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Brief comments are one thing. How about we use this forum for some serious discussion?

1) I wasn't even aware of the existence of "ShellTube" until I accidently hit the link on the Shell Home page and the video loaded. I've never published a comment on a public or enterprise site before. This is my first time, bear with me ...

2) Speaking of public or enterprise site: ShellTube is clearly a corporate website, part of the Shell Wide Web. I therefore can only assume that when I'm commenting here I'm supposed to do that as a Shell employee, not as a private person. As someone who has signed off on Shell's HSSE Rules, Code of Conduct, etc. Correct? I'll be honest: I don't know and I am confused about the practical implementation of this nicety. I'll therefore speak freely. Consider the following my personal opinion, albeit expressed on a corporate medium.

3) Before I say anything else, let me make one thing 100% clear in case there is any doubt about it: Neither as a private person nor as a Shell employee do I condone, promote, support or approve calling, texting or any other dangerous driving practices. I trust that statement is crystal clear. Stop reading if it isn't. I also have no problem whatsoever with Shell informing me, instructing me, if that's what it takes, to conduct my work in the safest possible manner.

4) My comment is about the "ethics" of producing "sensational" videos like this one, be it by the police or by whomever, and to then post them on the corporate ShellTube site.

5) I don't see what if any value can possibly be added by watching an "instructional" video that has been produced with the specific intent to show how someone dies a horrible death. For that matter, I fail to see what the added value could be of watching a "reality" video that shows a 108 year old man die of natural causes after having lived an exemplary life without ever having disobeyed any safety rule. Let him die in peace, show some respect. No need for us to watch it, comment on it and make it a public event.

6) Some argue that the shocking, realistic and emotional character of the clip serves an "educational" purpose: "Good" video; bring us more like this one; people must be forced to watch it. I respectfully care to disagree, or at least would like us to challenge ourselves and consider whether this does indeed serve an educational purpose. What is shocking today is inevitably no longer shocking tomorrow and will then be superseded by something even more shocking - acquired bad taste, if you ask me. And before we know it we slide down a very slippery slope. Final destination: nothing shocks us any more, not even looking in a mirror ... :)

7) Imagine the following situation, shouldn't be too hard. Suppose you have a colleague whose 18-year old daughter was killed in an accident identical to the one displayed in this clip. What must he feel like when he clicks on that link and the video starts to play? What would you feel like, what would you do if you're watching the clip and comment what a "good" video it is, just as that colleague walks into your office? Wouldn't you wish you'd never hit the link? I suggest that there are alternative, "better" ways to teach us about the importance of road safety. And if there are not, then we'd better start to develop them.

8) Moral of the story: unless Shell decides for whatever reason to produce such a video by and for itself, I suggest its proper place is in the public domain (YouTube or whatever), not in the corporate Shell Tube domain. Makes more sense to me, also when I read certain statement in the Shell Code of Conduct.

9) Finally an even more stretching and deliberately provocative proposition: If we as a company care as much about road safety as we say we do, why are we not lobbying Congress to outlaw phone usage while driving with the same zeal as we lobby to allow drilling in Alaska or Colorado? It's just an innocent question, I'm only asking it. I suppose the answer can or should be found somewhere in Shell's Code of Conduct.

10) Bottom line: Yes, I actually propose we pull this thing off ShellTube. If we want to watch it, we can see it (and much even more shocking stuff) on YouTube or MTV or countless other modern media outlets. Not something to be proud of BTW.