I agree with SunTzu DPRR, but I don't see how immaturity is a part of ethics.
It's more of a behavioral issue, or something related to age, or what sometimes appears on the surface of a tactic. (I devised a defense tactic once- bragging, mostly- and it ended up appearing like immaturity- but, immaturity itself is not a tactic). As for lying, it has been annoying to me in the past, but I've dealt with it well and gotten that person away from the point where he can harm my/our alliance and into my enemy alliance. . I hope the results are as predicted.

asinine, if a n00b has been playing 7 days and yet hasn't learned the value of a good, solid, protective alliance, isn't it an epiphany for them- beneficial, in fact- when they get nearly destroyed? Every single time I'd been scouted by someone really big, my ambitions rose, and I rose 6500 rankings since the moment I quit my first alliance for partially being a n00b. I believe that realizing one is a n00b, the result of what some call a "lack of ethics" on the part of bigger players, is a great thing. It lets you know where you are, and where you want to get.

n00b farming is the result of necessity in most cases. I nearly died from refuge, and I was forced to farm this (red-flag) n00b that I'd normally avoid because I only send my troops at well-guarded cities. Needing that food, not wanting to hurt someone, is what made me farm the n00b. I hope he also learned something.