I have to admit I was guilty of situational ethics for a few years. When I first started playing I would rigorously call my own fouls even if the other player didn't call theirs.
Then in gambling and traveling a bit, I would let the other player make up and set the rules, then I forced both to play by them. I had a real fondness for beer and in some places after taking a bathroom break on my turn I would come back to the table to find balls moved or missing. It was my shot when I left the table so no way balls were supposed to have moved or been removed. When this crap started, I started playing left handed pool. I pocketed as many balls with my bridge hand as my stick some games! Seemed funny at the time and I have to admit even today I don't feel bad about cheating the cheaters.
Today I am back playing with generally more ethical people and my ethics are where they should be. Does seem like I play at least one person with no ethics when I play in larger tournaments. Slug racks and any other cheat they can get away with. I foolishly called the coin in advance instead of in the air and had the regular at a place just slide the coin on the table instead of flipping it. OK, I can see how this match is going to be, he cheated the coin flip!
While I guess you can say I used to let the scum set my standards I considered it to be a when in Rome thing and went with any weird rule they could dream up and if they cheated I would return the favor. Of course I went back to playing fairly as soon as I quit playing that player. Usually if I found a gambler cheating I never played them again. Sometimes on challenge tables and in tournaments it happened.
I can't help myself, I do find it fun and funny to give the cheaters a dose of their own medicine when I am in the mood. Even more likely, I start playing shape where my ass is facing them for many shots and my body blocks their view of those shots. After the shot I will jerk my head around and look at them like checking to see if they saw something wrong. I only do that to cheaters. Since cheaters are the first to suspect others of cheating it drives them crazy!
Hu
Don’t ever stop posting, Hu.....you make me dig deep.
Situational ethics....I don’t think most human beings can avoid them.
I was side betting against a guy once....snooker...he lost the game and paid everybody..
...six or seven of us......then he went to the toilet....came back and paid us again....
...before the next game started...if it was one on one...I would’ve refused the money...
...but I saw the other guys grinning in delight....so I didn’t want to be a knocker...
...I kept the dough.
Few days later, the same guy went broke....$600 at a $100 a game.
So I said “Here’s the deal...I’m going to give you five barrels....if you win your $600 back,
you keep it....anything over $600, we split”...he won $1,100 from there, I got $250 and
my issue back.
He asked me why I gave up that deal....I never did tell him..but I satisfied myself.
Golf and pool were important to me....I wanted to play those games under my own terms.
Don’t get me wrong...I’m no saint....played a lot of poker when I was younger....
...in games where if you got good cards to start, the first thing you did was wonder where
they came from....and I could manipulate the cards pretty good also....
...but I stopped that part of my life....I didn’t like it....still kept playing a bit...
..but only in well run games.