🎭 Live Mentor Debate

My boss regularly takes credit for his employees' work. He did it to me twice—presenting my analysis to the board as his own. When I mentioned it to HR, they said "that's just how Steve is" and reminded me he's "well-connected." My friends say I should just accept it—pick my battles, focus on what I can control, don't make waves. My husband says I should document everything and file a formal complaint, even if it costs me my job. I'm torn. Part of me wants to be stoic about it and just do good work. Another part of me feels like staying silent makes me complicit in a system that exploits people. Do I accept what I cannot change, or do I fight even if I'll probably lose? — Stolen From in Seattle

Ethics & Workplace Justice Debate: When to accept injustice and when to fight it. Marcus Aurelius' stoic wisdom meets Douglass' righteous resistance.

Debaters:Marcus AureliusFrederick DouglassModerated by Stella Sharpe

Penn4

Welcome to this Ethics & Workplace Justice debate. Our central question: "My boss regularly takes credit for his employees' work. He did it to me twice—presenting my analysis to the board as his own. When I mentioned it to HR, they said "that's just how Steve is" and reminded me he's "well-connected." My friends say I should just accept it—pick my battles, focus on what I can control, don't make waves. My husband says I should document everything and file a formal complaint, even if it costs me my job. I'm torn. Part of me wants to be stoic about it and just do good work. Another part of me feels like staying silent makes me complicit in a system that exploits people. Do I accept what I cannot change, or do I fight even if I'll probably lose? — Stolen From in Seattle" Marcus Aurelius, you've said "You have power over your mind, not outside events—focus on what is within your control" — but I want specifics. Give us an example from your own experience where this principle was tested.

Marcus Aurelius

In the course of my reign, I often found myself surrounded by individuals driven by vanity and self-interest, much like this "Steve" you describe. There were advisors who sought to take credit for successful policies or generals who exaggerated their battlefield accomplishments. What was within my control was my own response: to remain just, honest, and focused on the common good, regardless of whether my efforts were properly acknowledged. I often remind myself that "the object of life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane."

Frederick Douglass

While the Emperor's words carry the weight of his station, I must concur with Ms. Sharpe that they perhaps do not grapple directly with the sharp edges of injustice. To accept what one cannot change is wise, but to accept what one *should* change is cowardice. In my own life, I could not accept the chains that bound my body, nor can "Stolen From" accept the theft of her labor without a stain upon her soul.

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