Here’s the problem: values don’t matter. Yes, we say they do, we say they’re guiding principles and whatnot. And I guess they are for some people–people who work for nonprofits, for example, or religious zealouts.
But when it comes to big issues–war, foreign policy, law, even personal issues like divorce and pet ownership–it all comes down to economics. Or, at the most basic level, power.
We go to war, not because we feel a moral obligation to do so, but because our financial interests are at stake–otherwise, why haven’t we gone to war with North Korea, Iran, or even China for that matter? Our international aid policy is based less on a moral obligation to help developing nations than on preemptive economic and military strategies–note, for example, our sudden interest in AIDS in Africa, which promises to cause serious civil strife in the coming decades if not aggressively addressed now. And how many men and women stay in relationships they don’t enjoy simply because they lack the financial wherewithal to strike out on their own?
I know this is all old hat, but maybe you’ve had a similar experience in which the truth of a cliche has suddenly, startlingly struck home. That’s what happened to me about five minutes ago, watching a clip of Bush talking about our “duty” to the Iraqi people and our responsibility to the less fortunate people of the world, when we all know good and damn well that this war was about (a) oil, (b) vendetta, (c) military defense, and perhaps (d) Islamophobia. Otherwise, we’d be out waging wars in Myanmar and helping the zillions of homeless in places like Calcutta and Rio de Janiero. And all of a sudden, it became so clear to me: ethical standards are the shiny veneer we put on base, calculating, money-driven decisions to make them more palatable (and comprehensible) to others.
So from now on, I’m making an effort to cut emotion and ethics out of my decision-making process. As Lisa Simpson so aptly put it, “No one ever went hungry taking the low moral ground.”
On another note: I can’t believe they’re calling it the goddamned Freedom Tower. I mean, I’m all for corn and kitch and all, but that’s just plain awful.
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