J.D. of Get Rich Slowly recently posted an article on whether or not it was ethical to get a fully-employed person applied for a second job when other people might need that job more? The overwhelming sentiment (for various reasons) was that is was more than ok to apply for that job.

In the comment thread, I agreed and added:

...I could have stayed in the neighborhood I lived in where people were dealing drugs and shootings were going on all the time. I could have left my son in a crappy school district, where he would probably not receive the education he will ultimately get. I didn’t need to move into a nicer neighborhood, but I chose to for the safety and security of my family. That came with a price tag.


For many people, including myself, the decision to move their families to safer havens is a no-brainer. That being said, many people are derided for "selling out their community" by fleeing the cities and moving to the suburbs or country. Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant lacks "street cred" in many people's eyes because he grew up on the affluent Main Line of Philadelphia's suburbs instead of going to an inner city school like other NBA stars. Although I admire people that have made a conscious decision to stay in the inner-city and affect change, my family's welfare came first.  So that being said, it is ethical to move to a better neighborhood to better your personal situation at the possible expense of the overall community?