Friday, July 01, 2005

When wrong is right and other morality tales

Moral relativism could be defined as moral propositions not reflecting absolute or universal truths. A relativist might posit that moral judgments emerge from social customs and personal preferences. There is no single standard by which to judge an ethical position as right or wrong, such as the Bible, or the Ten Commandments. You could even go as far as to say that one person's ethical judgments or acts cannot be judged by another, though most relativists propound a more limited version of the theory.

A moral relativist is often a pragmatist. His/her decisions as to right and wrong are determined by what’s best for them. While it’s convenient for many on the right to affix that label in a perjorative manner to those on the left, those “nasty” liberals or progressives, it seems as those their own personal Jesus, George Bush, is in fact a moral relativist, also.

Thom Englehardt at TomDispatch.com dishes out the dirt and shows us that George Bush, for all the political mileage and capital he garners from those with very fixed guideposts of ethical behavior, is actually a pragmatist afterall.

Englehardt writes, “In his speeches, George Bush regularly calls for a return to or the reinforcement of traditional, even eternal, family values and emphasizes the importance of personal "accountability" for our children as well as ourselves. ('The culture of America is changing from one that has said, if it feels good, do it, and if you've got a problem, blame somebody else, to a new culture in which each of us understands we are responsible for the decisions we make in life.') And yet when it comes to acts that are clearly wrong in this world -- aggressive war, the looting of resources, torture, personal gain at the expense of others, lying, and manipulation among other matters -- Bush and his top officials never hesitate to redefine reality to suit their needs. When faced with matters long defined in everyday life in terms of right and wrong, they simply reach for their dictionaries.”

I mean, good ole' Bush is a card-carrying member of the postmodern club, bejesus! Don't believe it? There's alot more in Englehardt's piece for ammunition, such as this zinger; "Here's the strange thing, then: No one in our lifetime has found the nature of reality to be more definitionally supple, more malleable, more… let's say it… postmodern and relative (to their needs and desires) than the top officials of the Bush administration."

Let me break it down real simple for 'ya. Just because you say something's true, or happened when it didn't, doesn't change reality; no matter how many times you say it's so.

It's amazing how our Teflon president can continue to skate by, propped up by lies that aren't just immoral--they are getting young men and women killed. But, with the current state of our cowering press and an American populace addicted to flags and yellow ribbons, none of it matters. War is peace, freedom is slavery and ignorance is strength. Oh yeah! And when you've drunk the Kool-aid, let's add that Bush is God!

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