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Post by John B on Sept 10, 2023 15:53:49 GMT -5
Wait, are you posting from your car??? Rest stop.
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Post by millring on Sept 10, 2023 18:20:14 GMT -5
I don't think I was describing moral superiority. For sure, that wasn't what I had in mind. I'm more thinking that we graciously judge ourselves on a scale relative to the rest of humanity that allows us to escape uncomfortable moral judgement -- that judgement most likely from society, but for those who are religious, maybe from some god figure. We don't think we're better than everybody. We don't see ourselves as morally superior. It's more like the old joke: You don't have to be faster than the bear. You just have to be faster than the other campers.
And I think we're all good and I think we're all bad. But different measuring sticks often apply.
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Post by Marshall on Sept 14, 2023 7:26:53 GMT -5
The yardstick company went out of business. They couldn't make them any longer.
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Post by RickW on Sept 14, 2023 11:20:20 GMT -5
I don't think I was describing moral superiority. For sure, that wasn't what I had in mind. I'm more thinking that we graciously judge ourselves on a scale relative to the rest of humanity that allows us to escape uncomfortable moral judgement -- that judgement most likely from society, but for those who are religious, maybe from some god figure. We don't think we're better than everybody. We don't see ourselves as morally superior. It's more like the old joke: You don't have to be faster than the bear. You just have to be faster than the other campers. And I think we're all good and I think we're all bad. But different measuring sticks often apply. There is also a deep seated belief, and I would think this would be common to all societies, (but that may be the cynical me,) that anyone who gets to the top in anything, has skeletons in their closet, and/or owe favors to other powerful people who uplifted them in the hopes of returned favors once said subject was in a position to grant them. That this has been shown to be true time and again makes it difficult to believe that anyone who rises above the first rungs of employment is not at least morally grey, if not a complete blackguard. On top of that, morally grey makes for a much more interesting story line. Evil antagonists are so much more interesting if they actually have some history to explain their evil, or, besides being evil, love puppies.
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Post by millring on Sept 14, 2023 15:11:04 GMT -5
besides being evil, love puppies. or cats.
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Post by Marshall on Sept 14, 2023 16:26:28 GMT -5
Dar and I have been watching Suits. It's a highly stylized courtroom/legal drama/soap. What I have noticed -- and I understand that it's hardly the first time contemporary fiction has done this -- is that the entire central plot/theme is manipulating the viewer to root for the bad guy. Oh, I suppose I could give them more credit than that. I suppose its overarching theme is to make the viewer more aware of how much of life lies in the morally squishy grey. It also, I admit, should cause the thinking man to question how easily institutions are corrupted -- and that not by bad people with evil intent, but rather, by good people with good intentions. Umm, Richard Millhouse Nixon. Mike
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