Quote:
Originally Posted by rubecube
Well fair enough I guess. Maybe my own views are blinding me. I consider myself pretty progressive, as are many of my peers, but I don't think any of us would disagree that the treatment of women is better in Western countries than in Muslim countries.
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There are actually some people who are blurring this line, and it's tempting to lump them into a monolith. I think you're right, generally. But there are clear trends towards people who I guess would also describe themselves being much more concerned about transgressions of this sort from people who come from privileged backgrounds. There's really a startling lack of outrage over the treatment of women, gays and secularists in certain places worldwide, and there are a number of explanations for that.
For example, let's say I'm an American, who is particularly concerned with American involvement in the Middle East. I spend a ton of energy criticizing US foreign policy and the actions of the US military, and comparatively little energy talking about the practices of America's enemies, or other countries. My response might be, "Of course I'm focused on what the USA is doing wrong. I'm an American, I want to focus on problems WE'RE causing". People often take this line in discussing Chomsky.
From where I sit, that's an overly nationalistic perspective, but I can see the appeal. Still, I can't help but be frustrated by the lack of outrage expressed over, for example, the rape of thousands of women by ISIS, or the torture of Raif Badawi. You'd be right to say that no one in their right mind thinks these things are anything other than a horror, but the degree to which people actually express any concern at all over this behaviour pales in comparison to the poaching of a lion last year. I think there are probably a number of reasons for this, too.