When I look at how the leaders of this country responded to Hurricane Katrina, and contrast it to how they responded to the banking crisis, I have to ask myself, "Are we a civilized society, or are we primarily a barbarian society that maintains enough civilizing influences to keep the whole mess from falling apart?"
What are your thoughts on this?
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No, we are NOT a civilized society. We are an INDUSTRIALIZED society.
ReplyDeleteI feel that key indicators of a civilized society are the way the society treats its weakest members, especially children and the elderly.
In many so-called "Third World" societies, the elders are considered wise and beyond reproach. The are respected and sought after for words of wisdom. Our society considers them burdens to put in homes.
Children are not seen as life, but as a "choice" and after they are born, those without financial resources are forced to go to inadequate school systems and receive minimal health care. I personally find it ironic that the last remaining super power has a healthcare program that is less than super compared to other countries.
Healthcare is something that could aid children as well as the elderly and the working poor, but it is something we'd rather put on the back burner if we have the choice to spend more money on an over-priced bomber or jet.
America is the last remaining superpower, because in this society, it is all about power.
ReplyDeleteThe level of civilization we have is there to support the power structure and to keep us from "fighting the power".
To address one of your other points, it's clear to me that children are seen as life (and fetuses are not necessarily seen as children), but a more important question is, what respect does this society give to life?
As far as this blog is concerned, abortion is a question for another time. Why?
When people who are anti-abortion or pro-choice argue over when life begins, we should realize that this is yet another red herring that is promoted by powerful people to distract us from things they are doing that threaten our freedom and our very lives.
Why are they doing it? Because, to them, it's all about power.
In this society, corporate profits are considered more important than human beings.
When this changes, then I'll be glad to talk about abortion in this blog. I agree that abortion is an issue that a civilized society should address, but it is not the first issue that needs to be addressed to move us towards a more civilized society.