A Question of Moral Ambiguity

by Tasha in Epigrams and Interludes

DISCLAIMER: 

This post asks questions.

This post does not give answers definite or otherwise.

This post does not state that any given belief is fundamentally right or fundamentally wrong.

This post does however ask  - where do you draw the line?

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So this is something I have been reflecting on a lot recently. The line between respecting a person's beliefs and stepping in when those beliefs actively hurt someone - such as a man who is a bigot - or a man who is actively beating his wife. I wonder though - where does this line exist on other similar issues?

Does the same line exist between knowing that animal abuse is happening and still doing nothing? What about a person believing gay marriage is wrong and actively discriminating or harming someone who is gay. What about supporting entertainment that is formed from animal abuse such as elephant trekking, hunting or zoo/"wildlife experiences" that keep their animals in small cages, do not care for the animals well and in many cases drug the animals. Where is the line?

Jokia is blind in both eyes from her time as a working elephant in Thailand

If a friend was beating their wife and you found out - would you still remain friends? What if they were beating their dog? What if they spent thousands to hunt endangered animals on a safari? What if they - knowing the realities behind the industry - went on an elephant trek? Or bought a pet store puppy for Christmas and then three months later left him at the pound? Where do you draw the line between judging a person, or judging their actions and beliefs.

I want to make clear that I - in no way - have any moral high ground. I am merely trying to puzzle where the line is between disagreeing with a person's beliefs and right to their actions, and actively opposing them - such as stepping in on abuse or terminating a friendship. None of us have an inherent moral high ground - however does that mean that we should silently endorse horrible activities and realities just because there is so much grey area to begin with.

There is an argument to be made that many people are ignorant to the moral ambiguities surrounding certain activities, companies or events - and in some cases that's true. Many millions of dollars are actively spent in marketing and rebranding and discrediting any and all critics, seen most recently in SeaWorld's reaction to the Blackfish documentary. And in a lot of cases there is so much grey area between what most can agree is a definite good and a definite bad.

Every major argument has a decent amount of grey area, whether it be regarding law, politics, class structure, social welfare, immigration. Everyone draws their lines in different places. However, what about when you have people who know something is wrong, people who have seen for themselves something is wrong, who have learned from trusted sources that something is wrong - and who decide that their personal enjoyment, fulfillment, or monetary gain is more important. Where do you draw the line then?

photo by: Sachin Nayak

What about supporting a country whose government is corrupt, morally bankrupt or in other ways pretty damn dodgy? Another travel blogger not too long ago wrote a great piece on this subject and questions whether this kind of travel is ethical. Ultimately, what I took away from it is that you cannot define a people by their country - bad leadership does not in most cases mean bad people. Australia being a topical example - a racist bigoted simpleton for a Prime Minister does not necessarily reflect a similarly-minded populace (although we can question their voting habits).

So where is this magical line? I am honestly asking - I am yet to find it. What is the difference between being intolerant to opinions other to your own and being purposefully ignorant to abuse and bad tidings perpetrated by those we would call our friends and kin. Many women and children who have survived abusive situations often comment that someone knew, someone suspected, and someone could have stepped in, but didn't. In our developing world of political correctness, can we really afford apathy to be the byproduct?


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