People who tend to have black and white opinions on nearly every issue in the universe. Don't realize the importance of situational ethics. This is most likely the result of a fundamentalist religious upbringing.
A nine year old girl, tragically, is raped and impregnated by her stepfather. What to do? According to the religious absolutist, abortion is, under all circumstances, 100% wrong. Unless the birth is life-threatening, she can't abort.
Moderates: I don't normally support abortion, but here it's necessary.
Liberals: I think abortion is a right that belongs to the mother. I would support her right to choose if this girl was nine or twenty nine, raped or non-raped. (although i would personally disapprove of it in the latter).
Conservatives: Fucking baby killers! It's an innocent fucking BABY we're talking about!
(as opposed to a non-sentient cluster of cells, lacking a nervous system and the ability to feel pain)
Moderates: I don't normally support abortion, but here it's necessary.
Liberals: I think abortion is a right that belongs to the mother. I would support her right to choose if this girl was nine or twenty nine, raped or non-raped. (although i would personally disapprove of it in the latter).
Conservatives: Fucking baby killers! It's an innocent fucking BABY we're talking about!
(as opposed to a non-sentient cluster of cells, lacking a nervous system and the ability to feel pain)
by Submitters of Words June 13, 2011
Get the Conservativesmug. A system of ethics that evaluates acts in light of their situational context rather than by the application of moral absolutes.
Situational ethics:
Imagine you are invited to dinner at the house of a friend. You arrive, exchange polite conversation, enjoy a few appetizers and sit down at the table. Midway through the main course you suddenly begin shouting at the other guests, overturning the chairs, grab the host out of his chair and begin physically assaulting him.
That would be considered highly inappropriate behavior - unless, of course, you had just observed him choking, you took charge of the situation, instructing one guest to call for help, another to wait outside and flag down the ambulance while you cleared obstructions out of the way and administered the life-saving Heimlich maneuver.
Imagine you are invited to dinner at the house of a friend. You arrive, exchange polite conversation, enjoy a few appetizers and sit down at the table. Midway through the main course you suddenly begin shouting at the other guests, overturning the chairs, grab the host out of his chair and begin physically assaulting him.
That would be considered highly inappropriate behavior - unless, of course, you had just observed him choking, you took charge of the situation, instructing one guest to call for help, another to wait outside and flag down the ambulance while you cleared obstructions out of the way and administered the life-saving Heimlich maneuver.
by Submitters of Words June 13, 2011
Get the Situational Ethicsmug. Conservatives. They tend to think largely in terms of absolutes. Now don't get me wrong, absolute values are important - by no means do I support moral relativism - but it's necessary to recognize the many shades of grey involved in individual cases too. That is, after all, what situational ethics is all about.
I suspect that many of the conservatives I've met don't recognize these gray areas largely because of their absolutist religious upbringing.
A few scenarios:
A nine year old girl, tragically, is raped and impregnated by her stepfather. What to do? According to the religious absolutist, abortion is, under all circumstances, 100% wrong. Unless the birth is life-threatening, she can't abort.
Moderate: I don't normally support abortion, but here it's necessary.
Liberal: I think abortion is a right that belongs to the mother. I would support her right to choose if this girl was nine or twenty nine, raped or non-raped. (although i would personally disapprove of it in the latter).
Conservative: Fucking baby killers! It's an innocent fucking BABY we're talking about!
(as opposed to a non-sentient cluster of cells, lacking a nervous system and the ability to feel pain)
I had a much better example but the stupid character limit fucked me over.
See my future definition, Conservative Black and White Thinking Disorder for that one.
I suspect that many of the conservatives I've met don't recognize these gray areas largely because of their absolutist religious upbringing.
A few scenarios:
A nine year old girl, tragically, is raped and impregnated by her stepfather. What to do? According to the religious absolutist, abortion is, under all circumstances, 100% wrong. Unless the birth is life-threatening, she can't abort.
Moderate: I don't normally support abortion, but here it's necessary.
Liberal: I think abortion is a right that belongs to the mother. I would support her right to choose if this girl was nine or twenty nine, raped or non-raped. (although i would personally disapprove of it in the latter).
Conservative: Fucking baby killers! It's an innocent fucking BABY we're talking about!
(as opposed to a non-sentient cluster of cells, lacking a nervous system and the ability to feel pain)
I had a much better example but the stupid character limit fucked me over.
See my future definition, Conservative Black and White Thinking Disorder for that one.
I blame religion for turning so many conservatives into black and white thinkers.
And this is why I dislike religion - it so often stops people from thinking. If people were encouraged to think in terms of individual cases as opposed to coming to each and every unique situation with a preconceived bias (abortion is MURDER!)...well, I don't know. We might have a better world. Just maybe.
And this is why I dislike religion - it so often stops people from thinking. If people were encouraged to think in terms of individual cases as opposed to coming to each and every unique situation with a preconceived bias (abortion is MURDER!)...well, I don't know. We might have a better world. Just maybe.
by Submitters of Words June 13, 2011
Get the Black and white thinkersmug. The incredible shift to the right this website is currently undergoing. Historically, most of the authors here have tended to lean left-wing or libertarian. But it's changing.
Evolution, an established scientific theory, is now ridiculed.
The front page for Liberal is now under attack by angry, frustrated right wingers.
Abortion has undergone similar attacks.
Don't even bother with the page for Barack Obama.
The liberals on this site need to wake up, we're getting buried.
Evolution, an established scientific theory, is now ridiculed.
The front page for Liberal is now under attack by angry, frustrated right wingers.
Abortion has undergone similar attacks.
Don't even bother with the page for Barack Obama.
The liberals on this site need to wake up, we're getting buried.
Conservative Takeover
It's not all that bad, though. Global warming is now frequented more by people who know what the hell they're talking about. Pages like God and Bible are still clearly dominated by the non-religious too.
It's not all that bad, though. Global warming is now frequented more by people who know what the hell they're talking about. Pages like God and Bible are still clearly dominated by the non-religious too.
by Submitters of Words June 13, 2011
Get the Conservative Takeovermug. The neoconservative version of the race card. What neocons pull when trying to get you to support an unpopular war or the like.
Bob: So what if there weren't any WMD's? If you don't support the war effort, you're anti-american!
Joe: Way to pull the anti-american card bro...
Joe: Way to pull the anti-american card bro...
by Submitters of Words June 22, 2011
Get the Anti-American Cardmug. I've seen definitions 10,000 "characters" long, but for some reason we're restricted to only 1500 now. Which sucks.
The Super Fucking Obnoxious 1500 Character Limit is the worst thing to happen to this site in a long time... some definitions are meant to be long, people!
by Submitters of Words June 13, 2011
Get the Super Fucking Obnoxious 1500 Character Limitmug. Someone who has the guts to stand up to and criticize some aspects of religion, which for some reason or another remains a complete taboo in our society.
Notice how critics of capitalism aren't called "angry socialists", critics of modern liberalism aren't (or at least shouldn't be) called angry conservatives, etc.
Whenever someone deals with religion, however, he must don kid gloves.
Of course, there will always be those immature twats who take it to the extreme- i admit Brian Flemming is probably one of them. But you still shouldn't discount every one of their messages - keep an open mind! (though not too much so)
It should be noted that the vast majority of religion-critics don't "hate" religion - they're just tired of its near-immunity to criticism and debate.
Notice how critics of capitalism aren't called "angry socialists", critics of modern liberalism aren't (or at least shouldn't be) called angry conservatives, etc.
Whenever someone deals with religion, however, he must don kid gloves.
Of course, there will always be those immature twats who take it to the extreme- i admit Brian Flemming is probably one of them. But you still shouldn't discount every one of their messages - keep an open mind! (though not too much so)
It should be noted that the vast majority of religion-critics don't "hate" religion - they're just tired of its near-immunity to criticism and debate.
Outside of religion, cutting off a baby boy's foreskin is most often seen as despicable and wrong. But once the protective shelter of faith is granted, it becomes a taboo to say anything about it.
Another example: the drug peyote is normally illegal, but some native americans out west are allowed to use it for one of their religious rituals - also, voodoo worshippers of a certain haitian-american sect are allowed to sacrifice certain animals (i'm not making this up)
It's weird how the moment the "faith" cover is given, a person's actions are suddenly almost off limits. Somehow, we've just agreed as a society that that's how we should work. And anyone who questions this norm is quickly labeled an "angry atheist".
Odd, don't ya think?
Another example: the drug peyote is normally illegal, but some native americans out west are allowed to use it for one of their religious rituals - also, voodoo worshippers of a certain haitian-american sect are allowed to sacrifice certain animals (i'm not making this up)
It's weird how the moment the "faith" cover is given, a person's actions are suddenly almost off limits. Somehow, we've just agreed as a society that that's how we should work. And anyone who questions this norm is quickly labeled an "angry atheist".
Odd, don't ya think?
by Submitters of Words August 07, 2011
Get the Angry Atheistmug.