The Myth of Moral Superiority
Posted: Friday, February 01, 2008
by James P Krehbiel
Krehbiel Counseling
Psychotherapist, Sheldon B. Kopp very astutely stated, "No one is any stronger or any weaker than anyone else; everyone is in his own way, vulnerable." M. Scott Peck, renowned author, expressed it another way. In his concluding remarks during a presentation he said, "I'm not okay, you're not okay, but it's okay." As I ponder the power of these insights, I am continuously reminded to show humility toward those who feel less powerful than I am and to never be impressed by those who portray themselves as gurus.
Case in point is the way in which Spanish missionaries, who in their zeal to convert lost souls intentionally destroyed the very fabric of the Mayan civilization, because the Mayans were viewed as "satanic." Little of the Mayan culture remains. Most of the cultural artifacts were burned by those who professed to be doing God's will. Fortunately, the Mayans intricate, complex and prophetic concepts of time were preserved through the hard work of archaeologists and anthropologists. Many other "primitive" cultures were also stripped of their unique cultural identities in the name of moral superiority.
I've always been intrigued by the word ethnocentrism. The word served as an underpinning for my belief that we must never assign a greater or lower value to any specific culture. Assuming that a given culture intrinsically deserves a higher or lower status based upon one's comfort zone smacks of moral superiority or ethnic bigotry. We cannot use our own cultural experience as a barometer for determining the value or usefulness of another worldview.
Unfortunately, moral superiority (ethnocentrism) is alive and well in this country and abroad. Throughout history, warring factions of homogeneous ethnic groups have tried to dismantle (ethnic cleansing) the political and social landscape of many societies throughout the world, even to this day. Ethnic strife, racial bigotry and cultural exclusiveness are characteristics of cultural groups who lay claim to those who are not strong enough to defend themselves from more powerful adversaries.
Although I am concerned about the imperialistic tendencies of other countries and cultures, I am more focused and dismayed by how this nation and its people have historically chosen a path of social and political policies that fostered domination and control.
What this country and its people did to the Native Americans is reprehensible. Through domination and control, our government established policies that up-rooted the Indians from their land and homes. Then the historical deception began. Our government painted history so that the Indians appeared as the aggressors and passed these myths throughout our culture. As a child, I remember that my concept of Native Americans was that the fabric of this country was threatened by a group of heathen warriors who only cared about destroying the white man's way of life.
It is my opinion that our country currently embraces a foreign policy based upon the principle of moral superiority. Our goal is to spread democracy throughout the world, whether other nations really want it. We feel the right to overcome the "axis of evil" and arbitrarily Westernize Middle Eastern countries.
This is not to say that we don't have real battles to fight. In World War II, we had to stop the reign of Nazi Germany, just as we must vigorously fight terrorists wherever they may be found. However, a foreign policy with underpinnings of moral superiority only exacerbates the struggle with our real enemies. Our cultural blindness gives the terrorists further justification to continue their hatred toward our country.
The culture of moral superiority requires no justification to take its people to war. There is no dialogue permitted. The same "catch-phrases" are used ad-nauseum to defend it. If you follow the dollar, you may find the reason behind the control and domination, i.e. moral superiority. Deception is important, as the media and the citizens are given a distorted perspective for choosing to engage other cultures in conflict. The concept that "God is on our side" amounts to a skewed form of patriotism.
I believe we need to establish a new way of looking at the world. We need to clearly identify those groups who would harm us. We must diligently work to understand and negotiate with those nations who disagree with us. We need a foreign policy founded upon the principles of cultural awareness and understanding, not moral superiority. Only then will we make progress in promoting global peace. God bless America and all the other countries on this globe that need His blessing, for "no one is any stronger or any weaker than anyone else."
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More commentsI agree James, understand and negotiate with other nations. Mother Teresa said [quote] If you want peace don't talk to your friends talk to your enemies.Thank you David, Needless to say, Mother Teresa is right!
James, I think Kopp's statement makes sense on an individual basis but it doesn't seem to fit for nations. "No one is any stronger or weaker" just isn't true in that context. If I were in the position to decide, I would have difficulty deciding when our nation should get involved in a global situation and when we should not. Should we only step in when our nation's economic or security interests are involved? We seem to do that. Or should we step in when an ethnic group faces genocide, even though it doesn't affect us directly? Those are questions, not statements. I think it really is tough to know when to intervene and when to isolate. Most nations are not powerful enough to be faced with that decision.Steve, Thanks for your questions, I appeciate them. Kopp's statements were made in the context of psychotherapy. He was saying that as a counselor that once we use our power arrogantly and indiscriminately to control others we have broken a sacred trust, like the Bible saying "pride comes before the fall." On a global scale, I am saying that this also applies philosophically. When we try to act all-knowing and powerful in the course of decision-making, we are more inclined to use our moral superiority to hurt others and weaken our own national security. In my mind, there is no question that we have done that with Iraq. We now have evidence that we went to war deceiving our media and people for governmental purposes, and now we have weakened our standing with our people and the world because power and moral superiority took precedence over diplomacy. Once we use our power to dominate others, rather than defend our people, we have lost the battle of integrity.
Hi James, Great job articulating these timely points. I agree that from a place of moral superiority, true dialogue is never allowed. When people (or nations) view the complexities of existence from simple, black and white, good versus evil dichotomies, misunderstanding, oppression and violence result. I hope and pray that our next generation of leaders practice loving-kindness and live by the virtue of humility. Thanks for stimulating thought and dialogue about these important issues. Rich NicastroRich, I could not have said it so eloquently. Thank you for reading my article and demonstrating an understanding of the leadership crisis we face.
James, I had never heard the term ethnocentrism before, but I agree, it is alive and well. To your God bless us, I would add God help us. Thanks for this article.LM, Thank you so much for reading this article. You are right. God help us all to find a way to forge a way toward peaceful resolutions to our global problems.
Yes James it speaks to the diversity and opinions and beliefs of mankind. Never the twain shall meet until forced to. We all are indoictrinated into forming our beliefs from the womb to the tomb. A good article thanks RTMRobert, Thank you for reading my article and providing your profound comment.
James This is a very timely and well written article. Thank you for your insight! Take careTom, Thanks for reading my article. I am very passionate about this issue and hope others feel the same.
James, there is no way that my reply could match the quality of your article. I enjoyed your article. It reminded me of my sociology class where I first encountered a name for the concept ot ethnocentrism.Suzi, Another sociologist, ha. LOL. Thanks for the very nice compliment.
James, Excellent article! As an international educator, I truly believe that a key way to combat ethnocentrism is by exposing people to diverse cultures, the earlier the possible. That is why I'm a strong believer in learning foreign languages early (pre-school ideally) and for international educational exchanges (at least starting in secondary education). Also, strong service learning programs within a country can have the same effect. All these ideas have me thinking I should write more about it! Thanks for your insightful article. BarbaraBarbara, Thanks for your comment. Write, write, write. This resource needs more diversity in thinking. Be well.Hi Barbara,
This is an important subject, but I'm not surprised more people have never heard the term ethnocentrism. It's used in sociology and, more likely, anthropology, which is where James said he heard it.
Ethnocentrism makes it easy for policy makers to paint different cultures with a broad brush, simplifying their logic to make war, define needs and wants, define axes of evil, tell us what is sin and what is virtue.
Too often, I have noticed, policies and legislation always affect somebody else on the other side of the track.
Moral superiority isn't based on fundamental natural laws, but usually derives from local cultural norms, especially the prejudices of our parents. We eat cow, they eat iguana; we speak English, they speak Spanish; we are a Christian nation, that means they are a heathen nation. These differences are too often exaggerated so as to inflate our self-perceived superiority, and exploited for political gains.
There are plenty of people who will go along with the status quo, when the imperative is to force an ethnocentric morality on every body else. The difficult fight is for those who understand that true liberty and freedom can only be found in the state that maintains a plurality of tradition, not uniformity.
Think different!
ah! you should read 'Heart of Darkness' by Joseph Conrad a chilling tale of Western Imperialism, and the resultant perils of the indiginous peoples of Africa
James,
Ethnocentrism is one of those college terms I've used persistently throughout my adult life. It has proved a perennial reminder to judge speech and morality critically. In other words, don't take a moral judgment at face value.
I offer this statement by Former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, who said, "Imposing democracy is an oxymoron."
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