Celia Martín Linde

4º Fuji

PHILADELPHIA

1. List 5 ethical issues present in the film and explain why they are pertinent to ethics.

● Discrimination: Is an ethical issue which has a really close connection with

freedom.The library scene is the main feature the librarian who realized that
the protagonist was suffering from a disease, suddenly suggested that he
would be more “comfortable” if he went into a private room where he may
continue with his study. This insensitive behavior landed Andrew cold stares
from all the people that went there.
Another example is when Beckett was fired from the company, when his co-
workers figured out that he had AIDs by the reason that he had a forehead
injury, they also discovered that he was homosexual. The AIDS problem
made everyone very much afraid and the fears that came with it brought
about various scars and discrimination associated with this illness in addition
of what i just talked about another case is when Joe Miller went to the doctor
because he had been in contact with Andrew Beckett and he was insistent
that AIDs could transmit by air or if the person that has it touches anything, he
said that even when the doctor told him that it could only transmit with fluids
that are blood, semen, pre-seminal fluids, rectal fluids, vaginal fluids, and
breast milk.

● Honesty: Andrew Beckett did lie to his co-workers because he didn’t say that
he was homosexual or that he had AIDs. But he hide it because he knew that
if he had told his co-workers that he has a disease he would have been fired
a long time ago and he realised one time that he went with them to sauna that
they were homophobic because all the comments that they were saying.

● Betrayal: He had to work on a case, the day of the trial the papers that he
had written the night before mysteriously disappeared in the morning, but
before that his co-workers and his boss had looked at it.

● Gay rights: When he went out of court many reporters asked him about gay
rights and if he had started the trial because of gay rights.

● Homophobia:The movie is centered around homosexual relationships

and there are homophobic characters in it, for example, when his firm’s
partners imply that Beckett himself is responsible for falling ill with
AIDS by having gay sex, so he can’t declare that he’s the victim.
Beckett replied by saying that a woman in the firm contracted AIDS and
therefore, him having it doesn’t mean it’s his fault.
Celia Martín Linde
4º Fuji
 PHILADELPHIA

2. If you had been in “Tom Hanks” place would you have done things differently?
If so, what? If not, why not?

If I would be in Tom Hanks place (the main character of Philadelphia), I think i would
have done things like him. I’ll try to defend myself because even though I have an
illness I can still be functioning the same way that when I didn't have it and that does
not mean that they can fire me.

Andrew Beckett did what he thought was correct, and it turned out great. He won the
trial because he fought for what he believed and I honestly would have done the
same thing

3. Some people object to homosexuality on the grounds that they find homosexual
relationships unnatural, distasteful or disgusting (as in the film).
Discuss.

What I find unnatural, distasteful and disgusting is that kind of behavior towards
something that I find very normal, because it is. I understand where some elderly
people come from but I don’t get why there’s still people my age who have a negative
reaction towards homosexuality.

This situation reminds me of many books that I had read, one of them is called “Ask
the passengers”. In the book, the main character has a girlfriend but she hasn’t come
out because she lives in a small town where people gossip about everything and
everyone. Her friends, Justin and Kristina, haven’t come out either for the same
reason.

Another example but from another film is, “Love, Simon” this movie presents the exact
same situation, a boy who hasn’t come out. If authors write about the struggle of saying
you’re homosexual because you fear you’ll be rejected, it must mean that there’s still
people who sees any kind of sexuality that’s not heterosexuality bad, which is sad and
really disappointing.

This way of thinking prevents our society from evolving towards a future in which
homosexuality or queer, is well seen by everyone.

Celia Martín Linde

4º Fuji
 PHILADELPHIA

4. From our discussions, from what you understood in the film and from your life
experience list, which ethical values are important for you and explain why.
Where do they come from? Do you think they will ever change and why?

Respect I think this is the most important because respecting other religions,
cultures, people...is one step forward to a better society. If you are respectful people
will appreciate it and that also means that you accept somebody for who they are,
even when they're different from you or you don't agree with them.

My parents and teachers have shown me the importance of this value and I don’t
think I’ll ever think differently because as I said, this is a step towards a nicer future.

Honesty I’ve always liked when people are honest, even if I don’t like what I’m
hearing. It shows how someone is, and I always appreciate it because not long ago,
something happened that could have been prevented if I had known how those
people really were. Honesty also demonstrates if a person is trustworthy, loyal, fair,
and sincere. I think this comes from my parents too and what it means to me will
never change because, as I wrote, this is something I value a lot.

Trustworthiness Due to something that happened a long time ago, I now have
trustworth issues and that’s probably the main reason of why I find this important.
Being able to confide in someone and knowing he/she won’t betray you, must be a
pretty good feeling. This is something I’ve come to value and it’s something that’s
always going to be very important to me.

In my group of friends I don’t usually talk about private things that has happened to
me, it’s not because I don’t trust them considering everything that they have done to
me or how comfortable I am with them, it’s because I have had a lot of friends during
my life existence and most of them have failed me.
I thought at first that it was my fault because I was a very open person and liked to
talk a lot about everything to everyone, even though most people were not even my
friends, so when they found out about things that I shouldn't have said, they told
everyone and, in the end, the person I was talking about ended up finding out, that's
why I don't trust many people although little by little I'm changing that.