tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22183958.post966817659230517164..comments2009-06-22T12:16:35.781-07:00Chuck Butcherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13656874242638324636noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22183958.post-54284118389540799062009-06-22T12:16:35.781-07:002009-06-22T12:16:35.781-07:00Viewing morality or ethics as an attribute of a group is probably part of the issue. At every stage in American society we had people willing to stand up and say &quot;this is wrong.&quot; They rarely won, even when they represented a majority view. The simple reason is that personal profits are easier to make by robbing, enslaving and cheating people than by innovation. When there&#39;s money to be made, you can bet those grabbing for it will sweep the rest aside unless there is strong, and lasting, opposition.<br /><br />But regarding western culture generally; yes, it&#39;s standard bearers are guilty of all the crimes you mentioned and more. Their tradition also represents the first and in some cases only intellectual tradition that said &quot;this is wrong&quot; about many of those crimes, from slavery to the arbitrary power of elites. Not a reason to get smug, but reason enough not to lower our heads.Zak Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12751075547005542773noreply@blogger.com