Specifically/especially when there are other voices calling out in the darkness striving for what is right. Should we give Lincoln a pass on his racist views? There were plenty of abolitionists, etc. who vehemently opposed racism. Should we give a pass to Bull Conner for his racist views? There were plenty of civil rights proponents who vehemently opposed racism.
It's one thing if the whole world is in the dark about something, but in these cases, there were some people with the courage to stand up for what is/was right, and they should have been joined by one and all.
Should we forgive Jefferson for owning slaves? Why? John Adams (and Abigail ;-) for that matter) were outspoken critics of it. So it's clear that Jefferson knew that it was wrong (even from his own writings, we know that he was uneasy with it). So why should we forgive Jefferson for doing what was easy rather than what was right? Just because everyone else was doing it?
The whole, "who are we to judge" attitude leads us down a very dark path, but unlike what MC said earlier, if we stick with it, it won't just haunt you forever, it will haunt our entire civilization forever. Until "our civilization" is no more.
MadisonConservative on May 10, 2010 at 4:55 PM
CK MacLeod on May 10, 2010 at 5:06 PM
I don't think CK sounds condescending here. Although we all know that my understandings are superior to the both of yours.
And I think CK we may have been talking past each other. I wasn't talking about mitigating circumstances (clearly we treat someone who killed another in self defense differently than we do who killed someone in 1st degree murder). I'm talking about identifying an evil (like racism, for instance) and having the power/fortitude to call it what it is. It may not always be the easy way to go about things, but what is wrong is wrong, and what is right is right. We shouldn't tolerate evil because it happens to be the prevailing ideology of the time.
Like, MC, I disagree as well. To me, it's never wrong to do the right thing.
But I guess if you want to call, for example, the stoning of women in some countries "acceptable" just because it is a commonly held belief, and occasionally carried out, and a part of that culture (I mean, who are we to judge, right?), then go right ahead. Or for a less hyperbolic example... what about regular domestic abuse? It used to be fairly commonly accepted. Does that make it okay? Slavery is wrong now. It was wrong then. Racism is wrong now. It was wrong then. Forced sterilization is wrong now. It was wrong then.
Maybe you can't "function in the real world without it", but really, I think you mean you can't "live comfortably in the real world, turning a blind eye to evils" without it. Sometimes doing the right thing means leaving the comfort zone.
I'm not a Wilson hater, but there seems to be alot of moral relativism in this post. i.e. "Hey, everyone else at the time was for the forced sterilization of the mentally ill, so it can't really be held against him."
No, but I've always suspected that that mustache was covering up buck teeth.
Are you trying to say that Bugs Bunny wasn't Hitler?
Specifically/especially when there are other voices calling out in the darkness striving for what is right. Should we give Lincoln a pass on his racist views? There were plenty of abolitionists, etc. who vehemently opposed racism. Should we give a pass to Bull Conner for his racist views? There were plenty of civil rights proponents who vehemently opposed racism.
It's one thing if the whole world is in the dark about something, but in these cases, there were some people with the courage to stand up for what is/was right, and they should have been joined by one and all.
Should we forgive Jefferson for owning slaves? Why? John Adams (and Abigail ;-) for that matter) were outspoken critics of it. So it's clear that Jefferson knew that it was wrong (even from his own writings, we know that he was uneasy with it). So why should we forgive Jefferson for doing what was easy rather than what was right? Just because everyone else was doing it?
The whole, "who are we to judge" attitude leads us down a very dark path, but unlike what MC said earlier, if we stick with it, it won't just haunt you forever, it will haunt our entire civilization forever. Until "our civilization" is no more.
I don't think CK sounds condescending here. Although we all know that my understandings are superior to the both of yours.
And I think CK we may have been talking past each other. I wasn't talking about mitigating circumstances (clearly we treat someone who killed another in self defense differently than we do who killed someone in 1st degree murder). I'm talking about identifying an evil (like racism, for instance) and having the power/fortitude to call it what it is. It may not always be the easy way to go about things, but what is wrong is wrong, and what is right is right. We shouldn't tolerate evil because it happens to be the prevailing ideology of the time.
Like, MC, I disagree as well. To me, it's never wrong to do the right thing.
But I guess if you want to call, for example, the stoning of women in some countries "acceptable" just because it is a commonly held belief, and occasionally carried out, and a part of that culture (I mean, who are we to judge, right?), then go right ahead. Or for a less hyperbolic example... what about regular domestic abuse? It used to be fairly commonly accepted. Does that make it okay? Slavery is wrong now. It was wrong then. Racism is wrong now. It was wrong then. Forced sterilization is wrong now. It was wrong then.
Maybe you can't "function in the real world without it", but really, I think you mean you can't "live comfortably in the real world, turning a blind eye to evils" without it. Sometimes doing the right thing means leaving the comfort zone.
I'm not a Wilson hater, but there seems to be alot of moral relativism in this post. i.e. "Hey, everyone else at the time was for the forced sterilization of the mentally ill, so it can't really be held against him."