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igottaknow
PerfectTeeth R4 Dinosaurs

Registered: Feb 2001
Location: The Future
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May-08-2007 13:42
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Lebezniatnikov
Stupidity Annoys Me

Registered: Feb 2004
Location: DC
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| quote: | Originally posted by Perfect_Cheezit
Cultures are not something that are so incredibly ingrained and naturalized that we can't possibly understand them. Cultures aren't insular and they never have been. Statements like yours are ethnocentric in their own way and they don't nearly go far enough to be able to work against preventing injustice and human rights violations like these. |
It was meant as a comment and not a course of action. The fact of the matter is that human rights are (unfortunately) not universal and never have been. Cultural values differ so greatly from locale to locale that it's nearly impossible to create a list of mutually agreeable human rights principles for the world to agree upon. For instance, it's been stated in this thread that it's wrong to take someone's life, but it's also been stated that those who stoned this woman should die horrible deaths. Those two assertions stand in direct opposition to one another. Which is right? The fact of the matter is that there is no answer. It's easy for us in, say, the United States to be indignant that the woman was killed, and yet we commute death sentences to dozens of individuals every year. It's also easy for us to demand just recompense for those who did the deed, but what does that accomplish? If we truly believe that no crime warrants death, how can we advocate such a sentence here? How is right to life in the face of a cultural crime a universal human right when we ourselves don't respect it?
My point here isn't to call us all hypocrites, but rather to point out that life is relative. We express outrage at the taking of her life while calling for the deaths of dozens more. Who are we to make either judgment?
As long as we're pointing out moral deficiencies... why, in the name of everything that makes sense in the world, would anyone want to watch the video? We're appalled by those who took the pictures, but clamor to see them. If you're so sickened by this story, then do something productive and join Amnesty or Oxfam. Engage with the issues and work toward a solution. It is extraordinarily disheartening to see people passively sit back and say "that's horrible, they should all die horrible deaths." Perhaps if we work towards greater cultural reconciliation, the actions of the girl will no longer be viewed as a crime, much less one punishable by death. Instead, we only manage to incite and perpetuate hate, mistrust, and ignorance through value-loaded cultural opinions.
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May-08-2007 19:50
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