<p>Happy New Year. </p>
<p>I left my packet for the monthly blog in a classroom, so I read Rachel's" theory" online. I have to say, that was one of the most interesting articles I have ever read. It got me thinking so much. In today's society we, as Americans or whatever group you put yourself in, are so cocky because we believe we are right. We have all the right moral standards, the right government, the right laws, the right etc. But who is to say that we are right and the people in Whereverstan are wrong. They think that their way of life and their society is right. And we have wars over it. Now, I'm not gonna type here and lie to you, I to think we have the better morals, with most things. But seriously, both sides truly believe in their way, and why is one wrong? Can we not just accept that we have different standards? Sure, I think oppressing women is wrong(because that's what my culture taught me), but whose to say it really is. To me it is, but for people in other countries they believe that women shouldn't be allowed to show their faces. When did the USA become the moral standard of the world.
I know this next segment of my blog may cause some anger, but I feel it is a really good societal example. So I was looking into the whole eskimo baby thing and did some google searching. I typed in live birth abortion and came up with this site.
http://mydryfly.wordpress.com/2008/02/21/obama-and-live-birth-abortion/
Copy this into you're URL and take a look. If anyone has the nerve to say that the USA has the greatest of morals, read this. A baby is about to be born, like literally the mother's had the baby for 9 months, and her water breaks and she goes into labor. Then a doctor kills the baby. Are you trying to say that is morally right? They leave it out to die. If someone stabs a pregnant woman, and the baby dies, the person is away in jail for life. But if I happens to be a doctor who kills the baby, it's okay. You know what, I'm not even gonna keep talking about this. If you have not read the article please do. There is stuff all over the web about it, too.
Anyway, back to the article. When reading this I could not stop thinking about Okonkwo from Things Fall Apart. The whole time, most of us including I, criticized him and said he was a bad man, and certainly not a hero. We talked about how wrong he was for the way he treated women. I to stil think he was wrong. But it is a different culture, so accept it. And afterall, it is just a book and it is made up. Now looking back on the book, I less hatred on Okonkwo, because of the article. I felt as if I truly learned something. I think we all need to be less quick to criticize other cultures. We have our way of life and they have theirs. Let's agree to disagree. On more societal connection is dealing with me. My parents wont let me go see R rated movies in theaters, but my friends parents for the most part do not see anything wrong with it. Who is right, no one. They have their views, and my parents have their own.
Ryan, you should read the article. The author makes some of the same points you make here about cultural relativity. Although I am glad that Rachel's blog inspired a societal connection for you... I find it interesting that you question the morality/immorality of treating women badly, asking whose to say?, and then go on to make a very definitive statement about the morality of your connection... they BOTH seem like an issue of valuing human life to me. Maybe that's the line??
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