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I_B_GREEN
freedom not freedumb
bblack
Some freedoms are global simply because we are. For example the freedom to not ...
Ethics and freedoms are not global
Brian Bailey
9/27/2012 12:47 PM EDT
I am amazed at how unworldly many people are. Those of us who have grown up in countries other than the one we live in, or have had a chance to be in many cultures around the world, seem to have a different perspective on world events compared to someone who just drinks from one fire hose. A recent discussion with a friend brought this to light in a very stark way, and although I will not get into the details of it, it made me realize just how much propaganda we are all exposed to.
We tend to think that things like ethics and morals are, or should be global. But this is far from the truth. Many of these doctrines of society were originally put in place as the early form of law and order, established to enable large numbers of people to live together in a harmonious way. Today they are propagated throughout society by the news, religion, Hollywood and many other avenues. We don’t see it as propaganda because it is what we expect. It is aligned with the prevalent views of the society that made them. It is in a way, a cyclic reinforcement of the societal views and a way to slow down the rate of change of cultural migration.
Let me give you one example. Please do not take this as a statement of support for a particular cause; it is merely used to show the point. One thing that the U.S. believes in is freedom. But what is freedom? It is only the ability to do what that society has said is right, proper, legal and moral. But what happens when freedom and morals come into conflict? For example, pro-choice people believe they should have the freedom to decide what happens to their bodies. Pro-lifers exclaim that this is not a freedom issue but a moral issue. In other countries, abortion and contraception are completely open and legal and so they would look at us and proclaim that the women of this country are not free if they cannot make the choice for themselves. In the opposite direction, the U.S. is often quick to scorn or chastise others for restrictions that come from their religious views. To them, just like in the U.S., morals rank higher than freedoms.
There are many times when we look at other countries and say that they do not have the same freedoms as those in the US. That is a totally true statement, but to decree one set of freedoms to be better than another is to be closed minded. In the high-tech industry, we are part of a global workforce and we must work with people who have different ideas, religious views and ideas about what is right and wrong. To attempt to always enforce our views on them is not right. We must be open to differences, we must be more accepting, we must be ready to understand.Brian Bailey – keeping you covered
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cmathas
9/27/2012 2:29 PM EDT
Brian, Excellent post. There are countries where freedoms are on the rise. Can we say the same? Offshore travel or living is really important to being able to analyze where the levels of freedom are--and how important to the population it is. thanks for submitting the post.
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EREBUS
9/30/2012 5:28 PM EDT
I agree.
To most people, Freedom is relative. Many do not even know they have lost freedom until it is too late to preserve it.
The Homeland Security Act took too many freedoms from the American people. It should be repealled. It is too dangerous to let beurocrats have that level of power without a watchdog to keep them honest.
The other cold hard fact is that many people really like someone else to make their decisions. They would rather have someone to blame rather than take responsibility for their own decisions.
Just my opinion.
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docdivakar
10/4/2012 12:58 PM EDT
@EREBUS: we have already lost many freedoms, I am afraid, permanently, in many so called 'free' countries. Take video surveillance for example -it won't be too long before we see that misused / abused for commercial purposes (as more city governments feel the economic squeeze). The same argument can be made for a smartphone user as he/she walk by a store and see targeted ads whether they opted-in or not!
MP Divakar
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Jack Peacock
10/2/2012 5:08 PM EDT
The corollary to this theme would be "not all ideas are equally valid". Sure we all have nationalistic bias, but history has shown some concepts of freedom (impartial judiciary, freedom of press) are clearly superior to the alternatives (widespread judicial corruption in places like China or Mexico, government firewalls in China or Iran).
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dneves
10/3/2012 3:20 AM EDT
So true!
The problem with "freedom" is that it cannot ever be unlimited because the freedom of one individual ends where the freedom of another individual starts. So "freedom" will always be a relative concept. I don't even consider Americans to be the people with the most "freedoms", as they need money to earn their most of their rights. Just think about how much "freedom" a poor/homeless person really has in the USA (or anywhere else in general).
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Acepilot
10/3/2012 10:56 AM EDT
Brian,
It is true that we tend to project our ideas onto other people and cultures. But some cultures still practice laws and cultural ideas from medieval times. For example, in some countries, women are still treated as property, who should be treated as slaves and should not be educated. Are these out dated ideas really equivalent to modern concepts of freedom and liberty?
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Quickbadger
10/3/2012 1:21 PM EDT
You make good points. As someone who has lived abroad and traveled extensively I have considered this many times myself.
However, speaking practically - in the world of business the home ethics rule. Just ask BAE Systems who found themselves in hot water a few years back for doing business in Saudi Arabia per the local customs, but contrary to UK ideals.
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bblack
10/6/2012 9:55 AM EDT
Some freedoms are global simply because we are. For example the freedom to not have our heads bashed in or to express ourselves without fear of reprisal no matter how stupid it may be. Some would argue that we are "Endowed by our creator with certain unalienable rights among which are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness" In any event some rights and liberties are basic across cultures. It is only man that tries to control others that limits these rights.
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I_B_GREEN
10/8/2012 8:45 PM EDT
freedom not freedumb
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