Ethics and the Bass Fishing Industry
April 7, 2008
We are all brought up in this society to think and work as individuals. The reason for this is it teaches people to think on their own and when people begin to do this, anything is possible.
For example, it was Alexander Graham Bell who figured out that a light bulb under vacuum would shine 100-times brighter than one made with pressure inside the bulb. In 1915 Einstein determined that light particles had mass and therefore would bend on their journey through space – a topic that was heated debate amongst physicists until it was proven by Sir Arthur Eddington in 1919.
A more recent example of individual thought would be from a couple of Stanford University dropouts named Larry Page and Sergey Brin – inventors of the code that eventually became known as Google.
From primary school through college we are taught to do our own work – copying will result in severe consequences. Unfortunately, there are those who still decide to take the path of least resistance in life after formal school.
Due to this, there are laws that protect ideas, intellectual property, written word and logos in the form of patents, copyright and trademarks. Unfortunately there are ways to get around these laws.
This is where the subject of ethics comes into play.
Ethics (noun). – the rules or standards governing the conduct of a person or the members of a profession.
There are entire courses and textbooks devoted to the subject and every person that studies to be a professional must take at least one course in ethics. Regrettably it seems that the fishing industry has its share of unethical participants – and it isn’t limited to that “buddy” of yours who jumped your spot.
There are the people who learn from others; be it a new lure, a technique or how to tie a feathered treble – for example – yet when it comes to giving due credit, they take the low road as if they taught themselves. Unethical.
Then there are the people who fill the ether promoting a product in hopes to attain that coveted pro staff position yet, when their needs aren’t met, they instantly jump ship and begin promoting another company. Unethical.
Another example are those who copy others’ hard thought-out tackle designs, bring their copy to market and reap the benefits based on the original. Unethical.
Fortunately there are numerous people involved in the industry who are capable of thinking outside the proverbial cube. It is these people who drive the industry forward and make our pastime something we can continue to enjoy. They are the Einsteins, Bells and Page/Brins of our industry, people who will leave their mark on bass fishing for eternity because they were able to think rather than follow.
As for the others, well, they’re all just copycats – lemmings following their leader (the need to be recognized) over the proverbial cliff of life.