Clark, fair comment and it's hard to judge values. Money is not a good guide to abstract values. Pain and happiness are notoriously difficult to measure.
The original comment promulgated the 'gook' concept of Asians making them into a less than human species. When people say things like they don't suffer as much or they don't value human life, I'm inclined to think they are not adopting a strictly academic approach to human values with precise scientific terms.
As you say, in some contexts and cultures, human life is of low value. I heard a USA schoolgirl had a baby, her and her boyfriend put it in a garbage bin and went back to the LindyHop. Culture is as culture does [to coin a phrase]. Gunfire in schools. Multi, multi, multi shots into some unarmed foreigner black guy in New York.
Whole civilian populations in Japan committing suicide rather than suffer the humiliation of surrender? Really? Such an extraordinary claim requires extraordinary evidence? You are suggesting the children did so too. That would be the most extraordinary claim I've ever heard. Whole populations of children don't commit suicide for anything. The women? The mothers of those children? Or do you mean some men, perhaps in groups, together perhaps with some of their wives? A bit like Hitler in his bunker? That would make a bit of sense.
When Japanese commit ritual suicide, it is not that they don't value life, but that they value the community so much higher. Or the concept for which they take that action. It is a sense of being over and above their own narrow interests. Like Buddhist Monks in Vietnam burning themselves. Like people winning a Victoria Cross in military action. The USA has Purple Hearts, but presumably they have awards for valour too, some of which are probably awarded posthumously. Those people value their own lives but some community concept even higher.
China had a high female abortion and [illegal female infanticide] rate, at least until recently when their population control efforts have been overly successful to the extent that they won't be continuing serious population control. Hence the big excess of young males. That's poverty and desperation for you. I doubt that the mother doesn't value her baby. It isn't true that desperate people value their children less, it is just that they are desperate and helpless. People give up at some stage.
Okay, gotta go.
Sorry, don't know Limbaugh and wouldn't it be the right wingers saying Clinton's henchmen did the murdering?
Sure is a nice day!
Mqurice |
