EDIT: FlorenceArt beat me to my original example. Smartypants!
Wow, lots of post for a just-reopened thread.
GeoffC, I think you're asking two different questions here...
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Originally Posted by GeoffC
Quote:
Originally Posted by TGS
So, I guess the question comes down to this; when an object has some special meaning for one group people because of their beliefs, and as a result of which that group of people treat the object in a special way, is there any requirement on people who do not share those beliefs to treat the object in the same way?
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why not - it's a matter of respect. |
First, you suggest we should treat the "sacred" object the same as the other culture. This, even if we do not share said cultural values, and if we are not even a part of that culture.
Then you ask...
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Originally Posted by GeoffC
So you think it is okay for us to go to India (using the current example) and tell them they are wrong?
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This is a
vastly different question. This is actively going to someone else's culture to tell them they are wrong. Yet, the first question was simply suggesting we
treat an object the same, even in our own cultural setting.
One is a quiet disagreement -- and it does not even imply "disrespect." The other is truly disrespectful, a direct attack on a cultural value.
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Oh - Okay, you can tell them they are wrong but you have no right to expect them to change, do you?
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Regardless of the expectation, it is absolutely disrespectful to go and tell someone a core "sacred" belief is wrong in the absence of a relationship or invited conversation.
-Pie