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Saturday, December 31, 2005 · posted at 11:32 PM

I'm ideologically promiscuous.
~Louis, "Munich"

Morality is like the English language - for every rule there is most certainly an exception to that rule.

People draw and redraw their right/wrong lines all the time. They come up with all kinds of excuses or justifications for their beliefs, attitudes and actions.

To kill another person is wrong, unless they're in a Middle Eastern country and you're wearing fatigues. Drugs are bad, unless they're in your coffee mug or shot glass. Thou shalt not steal, but if it's "owed" to you, that's another story. Homosexuality is disgusting, unless it involves two lesbians and a pillow fight.

But truly no issue is purely black and white. For each situation pertaining to that issue, you may have a line dividing right and wrong, but will that line be drawn in the exact same place for another situation where a few variables are changed? Should it be?

Borderline personality disorder, for instance, is characterized by dichotomous thinking. Something is either all good or all bad with no inbetween. I've seen a woman go from screaming at me, threatening to sue, and basically epitomizing me as all that is evil to singing my praises and declaring me the best thing since sliced bread (and anyone who's seen my social skills in action knows it's not because of my charm). Zero to 180 in two seconds flat.

So maybe it's good to have a cliched gray area. Eventually all our lines of right and wrong form a composite continuum with light and dark areas. So instead of "do you think fighting is wrong?" the question we should ask is "where are your shades of gray?"

And your mother said promiscuity was a bad thing.



	Saturday, December 31, 2005 · posted at 11:32 PM I'm ideologically promiscuous. ~Louis, "Munich" Morality is like the English language - for every rule there is most certainly an exception to that rule. People draw and redraw their right/wrong lines all the time. They come up with all kinds of excuses or justifications for their beliefs, attitudes and actions. To kill another person is wrong, unless they're in a Middle Eastern country and you're wearing fatigues. Drugs are bad, unless they're in your coffee mug or shot glass. Thou shalt not steal, but if it's "owed" to you, that's another story. Homosexuality is disgusting, unless it involves two lesbians and a pillow fight. But truly no issue is purely black and white. For each situation pertaining to that issue, you may have a line dividing right and wrong, but will that line be drawn in the exact same place for another situation where a few variables are changed? Should it be? Borderline personality disorder, for instance, is characterized by dichotomous thinking. Something is either all good or all bad with no inbetween. I've seen a woman go from screaming at me, threatening to sue, and basically epitomizing me as all that is evil to singing my praises and declaring me the best thing since sliced bread (and anyone who's seen my social skills in action knows it's not because of my charm). Zero to 180 in two seconds flat. So maybe it's good to have a cliched gray area. Eventually all our lines of right and wrong form a composite continuum with light and dark areas. So instead of "do you think fighting is wrong?" the question we should ask is "where are your shades of gray?" And your mother said promiscuity was a bad thing.	Recent Posts Ply Wars: Why is 2-ply paper softer than 1-ply?Whe... Walden dreams, part II. I was at the public librar... Walden dreams. People bug me some time. Everyone ... There must be some Toros in the atmosphere. My fir... Happy Tofurkey Day I spent my first Thanksgiving ... Batty Koda: Are you sure?Zak: Positive!Batty: Onl... PBS is launching a 6 part mini-series on global he... I was flushing a public toilet when my foot slippe... Well, actually I already decided to sleep with you... The Ecological Model: A Case Study Many theories o... Morning news babie goose ryan bluemouse daves son dawntaught desiree diorama emily escadawg galveric high entropy invisible cube jepgato kyellow lilly mhuang mogbert nudream starfish + coffee verbivore Archives March 2004 April 2004 May 2004 June 2004 July 2004 August 2004 September 2004 October 2004 November 2004 December 2004 January 2005 February 2005 March 2005 April 2005 May 2005 June 2005 July 2005 August 2005 September 2005 October 2005 November 2005 December 2005 January 2006 February 2006 March 2006 April 2006 May 2006 June 2006 July 2006 August 2006 September 2006 October 2006 November 2006 January 2007 March 2007 April 2007 November 2008

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