When the government goes utilitarian on us. How do you respond?

The government has locked you and close to thirty other people into a building. Somebody has a bloodthirsty killing disease that is incurable but who is it? If somebody begins showing signs is it ethical to kill them? Is it even ethical for you to be locked in this building in the first place to prevent the spread of this disease? What if the government did this?! In the act that the government becomes this utilitarian superpower what do you do when you find yourself trapped in a building with a contagious deadly disease.  Respond with a utilitarian action? Give in to this disease as it is inevitably going to find its way to you? Or simply kill yourself?

Quarantine, a movie produced in 2008 is a science fiction horror movie based on the outbreak of a rampantly spreading disease similar to rabies. This intense rabies disease now acquired by humans causes them to become 'bloodthirsty killers' attacking any human in the area. The disease has been traced back to a large apartment building where it is just beginning to spread.  With the majority of the residents in the

building along with a reporter and her camera man, the government decides to quarantine the building blocking off any exit with blockades of army troops. The entire population of the building are quarantined inside with the soon reality that some people have this man eating disease. With the main character being a reporter with her cameraman, you as the viewer see the scenes from a handheld camera view. A specifically relevant scene comes about half way through the movie when an older woman with the disease attacks a man that is helping the main character. The woman is killed as she attacks the man and it seems he is bitten. However, he tells the main character that he is fine and he was not bit. Later in the movie this man randomly attacks another character in the movie killing them and then both are shot down due to this event. Prior to this if you were present in the situation seeing the first man attacked but so called not bitten what would you do? I feel that if you are subject to a utilitarian situation, as in the government locking you in a building, it is your best priority to take utilitarian actions as well. This means lock up the bitten man or even kill him if you feel he is showing any symptoms. This view produces the least negative results as he can not kill anyone else. One death for the savior of more than one is a utilitarian view that should be engaged in this situation. Allowing him to survive and not killing him is the wrong decision eventually leading to another death.

Utilitarian views are represented by your actions having the least negative side effects. If the government or some higher power establishes a utilitarian system of quarantine, in this situation, the only way you will survive is with a mindset paralleling the initial action. If the government quarantines the thirty people within a building who may or may not have a disease, this disease will be subsequently isolated and destroyed. If present in this building, not carrying the disease, you must establish a utilitarian view in order to survive the quarantine hold out. In the movie the main character eventually is killed by a disease carrier when she is the last one alive. This point proves that her actions were not sufficient enough for survival, therefore making it clear that utilitarian actions in dire situations are necessary. It is necessary in this situation to kill anyone with the disease and stay close to anyone who you are positive does not have the disease.

In a real world this is not something that would be realistic. However, this crazy movie reminds me of an epidemic in my younger sister's grade involving head lice. It was sent out that students had head lice within the grade and to be cautious; checking your child etc. It stated to keep your child at home if head lice were present and to see the nurse. Every child spoken to by my sister stated I do not have head lice and seemed to remain in school. Although not a close relationship to this movie, with a physical quarantine present, one should still take a utilitarian view and avoid anyone who could have lice. It is necessary when in a 'dire' fairly important situation that your actions result in the least amount of negative effects. Staying away from people with lice, quarantining yourself, less people will get lice including yourself therefore resulting in less negative effects for yourself.

                A comparison of a lice epidemic and the movie Quarantine is a very broad stretch but brings about an ethical dilemma. If you are in a situation that is forced by a higher order utilitarian action, as in Quarantine, or in a tough situation as in a lice outbreak, the best actions are those following utilitarian views.