20 January, 2006

Is Shame Something The West Is Missing

Whenever there is a corporate scandal in Eastern countries like Japan, we hear more incidents with suicide from the ones who are accused to be involved. In the West, we see those who blatantly have done wrong and want to blame others for what they have done while doing all they can to get out of any form of punishment.

Middle Eastern countries look at Western nations with disgust at our lack of morals. I, for one, don't buy into this whole Judeo/Christian/Muslim set of black and white ethics, but they do have a point. I am not even suggesting we, in the West, use pre-historic intolerance and cruelty to those who do wrong or think the idea of suicide is a great way to combine vengence with justice.

Look at television. Where is the shame in some of the people we see? There is a show called Big Brother in the UK where they get the most insane people in the country and stick them into a lock-down situation where they get as raunchy as possible for ratings. Yes, it is entertaining, but with guilty pleasure surely you have to wonder what drives a person to degrade themselves just to be on television.

Fear Factor is another one. Nothing really fearful about it, just a bunch of disgusting games to degrade yourself for the money.

Jerry Springer is still in business presenting the worst behavior society has to offer.

Even sports players and superstars can flaunt terrible behavior and get a pat on the back for cutting loose.

When even a royal can dress up in Nazi costume and not have a clue on how offensive it could be without one ounce of shame, we have to wonder where did this merit go?

Our President Bush can get caught up in scandals, break laws, step on the wrong toes, and offend others, yet if he is backed into a corner he will reluctantly apologize with his phony mia culpa. Until he is backed into the corner, he will deny and blame instead of owning up to his mistakes. Either way, he isn't sorry for what he has done and would rather flaunt it in your face.

Back in the 1960s, people would dress up with a reasonable fashion sense to even go to the store to get groceries, walk the dog, or go to the cinema with the kids. It would be unthinkable to appear on stage, on the job, or in a restaurant in tacky clothes. The concept of going to those places in jeans, sweatsuits, or t-shirts would be scandalous.

To treat people poorly was considered an ill mannered thing to do and unacceptable behavior. A person who constantly acting that way would have no friends. Today, if they have money, power, or fame, they have people milling about them as if they were gods.

So I am asking, where did the shame go?

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