I want to start a conversation about re-thinking ethics, culture, black/white thinking, and ethical dilemmas. These will be broad discussion with a few examples.
Can one make an ethical decision based on how they feel something is just wrong? Instead of reflecting on the position of where the culture is? Is it okay to say that "xyz" is just plain wrong? I take the position of yes, it is.
So ... discuss!
Currently, I am a graduate student in a counseling program in North Dakota. The department is viewed as a more radical department and have taken a departmental stand against the logo, The Fighting Sioux (the only social science department on campus who did). They often have social justice-type classes in the summer, and constantly try to get the students to re-think assumptions, privilege, and so on. A lot of this I did as an undergraduate. I started re-thinking ethics over the summer and how this comes into specific cultures.
So ...
These thoughts came out of an ethics class and I really love it because I love how many amazing discussions can come out of ethics. The following, perhaps, ethical dilemmas are as followed (in regard to becoming or being a counselor). However, I feel these discussions can be political discussions, as well.
Some ethical social dilemmas I think of is female genital mutilation. Recently, the American Academy of Pediatrics ethically opposed all kinds of female genital mutilation. I completely agree with them and I think any type of FGM is wrong. With that, I feel I am making an ethical position, while keeping in mind that some people DO have different opinions about this based on their culture. Often I think of, what is going on within the culture that someone would be pro-FGM. Do womyn have the same equal rights and power as men? Why is something like this going on? FGM is supposed to happen when a girl reaches her teen years, but it has been happening to girls as young as 3. Are people becoming pro-FGM within the culture they're in because they are only making decisions based on the circumstances they're in? (Like, personally - I'd so be a Women/Feminist Studies professor if I could completely be free to make any choice I could make not based on systems of oppression, capitalism, money, reality, so on).
How about a culture in which womyn need to cover up their bodies, not drive, not be educated? While I understand that her culture is like this, I still oppose it. And I think this is also me making an ethical decision. Ethically, I do not think womyn being treated as non-human is okay. This is based on my western civilization perspective, too. However, because I have a western perspective of how I think a womyn ought to be treated - does that mean I am wrong? Or that I am using my privilege in the ways I have privilege to come to a decision? I say, yes, it does. However, I also do not think that those types of perspectives should come in the way on whether I think certain thing are wrong or right even if they are another culture.
I was thinking of ethnocentrism. I think that child abuse is wrong. While I know, ethically, as a counselor - I would need to report such matters. However, say a client I am working with came into a perspective that beating their child is okay. Would I be acting ethnocentricist toward that person when I made the decision that I think what they are doing is wrong? If I am not acting in an ethnocentrist way - then would one have to say that sometimes ethnocentrism is okay?
Finally, say I think of capitalism. Ethically, I think capitalism is wrong. Could I use the perspective of how I can only make this decision based on what/where a culture is with capitalism? In the countries that have more resources - capitalism may be good for them. In fact, I benefit from capitalism myself. However, capitalism has huge implications on people, the planet, resources, future generations, production, food, and so on. Is it ethically okay to be against something that does, in fact, benefit people? Or is it ethically okay to be against capitalism when some people do, in fact, CHOOSE to become capitalists within a particular culture? Whereas, some people do choose to do FGM based on culture?
I'm excited to see where this discussion on ethics, capitailsm, and culture goes. It has been an on-going discussion for me the past several months.
Finally, I will be off/on throughout the comments. I had a weekend of girl scout camping with my child and I am catching up on homework and housework! I am a single mother - lots to do!