I agree that it doesn't make sense to look at something that seems morally wrong and then forgive it because some other thing done by somebody else is also morally wrong. Either something is wrong or it isn't, and in my opinion selecting a child at birth to undergo "special treatment" (whether for good or for evil) is wrong.
In the capitalist system we do this implicitly through inheritance. I think one thing we could do to improve equal opportunity in our society would be a 100% estate tax above the median net worth. You're rich and you die? All of your excess wealth should go to the government to redistribute fairly. Your heirs should include the community you lived in and the society that enabled you to become a success, not just arbitrary individuals who already experienced the privilege of a more comfortable lifestyle while they were related to you in life.
Of course to make this work you would also need to limit gifts and strictly regulate NGOs and corporations to make sure they are not just fronts for a nepotistic transfer of wealth. It wouldn't solve the problem of children of wealthy parents having more opportunities than children of poor parents, but over several generations it could improve things.
That's just one idea that could get us further along the path. We could also aggressively tax land ownership in a way that ensures denser development of affordable housing and more diverse communities. Stop government funding of private schools while allocating more money to public schools. Or the big one for America: universal healthcare. The challenge is not coming up with policies that could affect positive change, it's convincing people that they might have to experience some discomfort along the way, and helping them understand that on the societal level these changes take time and many people will not see the benefits overnight.
Which is to say, it's hard to challenge tradition. But, as a progressive, I feel like it's still important to do. I understand it's hard for indigenous people to disentangle progress from colonialism, but in the broader context of human society and the living world overall it's not possible to ignore it forever. It would happen and has happened even without colonialism. I think there is space to find ways to respect heritage and tradition while still moving society forward, and I hope for the children of the Kogi that there is a progressive movement in their community too.
I agree that it doesn't make sense to look at something that seems morally wrong and then forgive it because some other thing done by somebody else is also morally wrong. Either something is wrong or it isn't, and in my opinion selecting a child at birth to undergo "special treatment" (whether for good or for evil) is wrong.
In the capitalist system we do this implicitly through inheritance. I think one thing we could do to improve equal opportunity in our society would be a 100% estate tax above the median net worth. You're rich and you die? All of your excess wealth should go to the government to redistribute fairly. Your heirs should include the community you lived in and the society that enabled you to become a success, not just arbitrary individuals who already experienced the privilege of a more comfortable lifestyle while they were related to you in life.
Of course to make this work you would also need to limit gifts and strictly regulate NGOs and corporations to make sure they are not just fronts for a nepotistic transfer of wealth. It wouldn't solve the problem of children of wealthy parents having more opportunities than children of poor parents, but over several generations it could improve things.
That's just one idea that could get us further along the path. We could also aggressively tax land ownership in a way that ensures denser development of affordable housing and more diverse communities. Stop government funding of private schools while allocating more money to public schools. Or the big one for America: universal healthcare. The challenge is not coming up with policies that could affect positive change, it's convincing people that they might have to experience some discomfort along the way, and helping them understand that on the societal level these changes take time and many people will not see the benefits overnight.
Which is to say, it's hard to challenge tradition. But, as a progressive, I feel like it's still important to do. I understand it's hard for indigenous people to disentangle progress from colonialism, but in the broader context of human society and the living world overall it's not possible to ignore it forever. It would happen and has happened even without colonialism. I think there is space to find ways to respect heritage and tradition while still moving society forward, and I hope for the children of the Kogi that there is a progressive movement in their community too.
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Progress for all.
Simple enough.
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