Doing Ethics

I first heard of Bob the Builder stories from my youngest daughter, who as a medical student told me about a party with her friends that involved dressing up in working clothes and singing songs that everyone knew from the television show. These stories are designed to show children that happiness involves developing the virtues of industry and perseverance. 

The show’s website includes this exuberant affirmation: “Bob the Builder knows that the fun is in getting it done! With his business partner Wendy and his original can-do crew: Scoop the digger, Muck the digger/dumper, Lofty the crane, Roley the steam roller, and Dizzy the cement mixer, Bob has been getting jobs done all over Bobsville and beyond, and no matter what the job, he always has the right tools—teamwork and a positive attitude!”

Of course, all this construction work involves using natural resources and digging up the earth. In this sense, Bob the Builder exemplifies the American myth that nature is there to be improved by our ingenuity and hard work. Until recently in this television program, there was no hint of environmental problems or of any related ethical issues, but that has changed.