Is the world as black and white as we like to think?

I read an excellent article this week about encountering behaviour or opinions on the road that we might find objectionable. In the post on his Finding the Universe blog the author, Laurence Norah tells of his campfire conversation with an Australian couple who casually made an overtly offensive racist remark relating to the Aborigine people. In this case the author was so stunned that he did not know how to react and chose, as most of us would, to leave the conversation and the company of the offender as quickly as possible. 

The post left me wondering how we should respond to such objectionable behaviour? I know that I would react in the same way as Laurence did here. Not being someone who enjoys any form of conflict I would make my excuses and leave at the first opportunity. But in doing so are we missing an opportunity to highlight the bad behaviour of the individual concerned? And does it make a difference whether the incident occurs in the offender's homeland or in our own? (The comments in Laurence's post form a good intelligent debate on the topic). 

Racism is a bad thing and while in many countries it is prevalent, mainstream and socially acceptable to make derogatory remarks about other races, no intelligent person will surely attempt to defend racism in any way. But what about other actions that may be objectionable to us, yet are an integral part of a host culture? Do we have a moral responsibility to speak up if we see something that we consider wrong, or should we accept that 'things are done differently here'. 

Wolf cubs waiting for their fate as eagle bait

A few years ago we stayed with an eagle hunter in Kyrgyzstan and our group were shown a pit in which he was keeping two wolf cubs. Pacing unhappily in a small dug out encased with wire meshing, they would be taken the following week to a tournament in neighbouring Kazakhstan to be used as bait for the eagles. We were all saddened by the plight of these cubs but could do nothing, knowing that this hunting skill was the only method by which this family had survived for several generations. 

And what about where customs directly injure, maim or even kill other humans? Examples of this may be female genital mutilation, child slavery and honour killings. What is our duty as visitors passing through and being made aware in whatever way of these customs? Do we impose our own beliefs and values on the host cultures and challenge these practices, many of which are a cornerstone of centuries-old tradition? Or do we walk away in acceptance that it is not our place to judge another culture and the values by which they live their lives? And if we do pass by as tourists doing no more than shaking our heads in private, are we complicit in any way in the survival of these barbaric actions? 

It is perhaps one of the hardest moral dilemmas that many travellers face. It would be interesting to hear how others have faced such situations and any advice they can offer. 

 

Decisions...

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