Gays and "Cultural Imperialism"
Sadly, India's Supreme Court has re-instated the country's law criminalizing homosexuality. (A good editorial on the reversal is at: http://www.cnn.com/2013/12/12/opinion/malik-gay-law-india/index.html?hpt=op_t1 )
Apparently, part of this is the feeling in a number of non-Western countries that the U.S. is attempting to impose its cultural values on the rest of the world. And there is something of an argument to be made there. Occasionally, principles oppose each other: no nation allows completely free speech, there are rational exceptions like slander or incitement to violence. But there are principles which are not "American culture", but just plain right. When the Western nations demanded that the Ottoman Empire give up slavery (although it's specifically permitted in the Koran), it wasn't because we saw it as tacky. We saw it for the injustice that it was and is.
And whatever the scriptures may say, homosexuality is almost certainly older than Homo Sapiens itself. Same-gender sexual behavior has been observed in over 400 species besides our own. It is not "Western" to forbid punishing people for being left-handed; for one thing, we are not guiltless -- there was a time when we did consider it inferior. (Check out the roots of the word "sinister".) Likewise, the toleration of sexual orientation is simply what intelligent, clear-thinking people do. It is well worth noting that Nelson Mandela fought against anti-gay and lesbian prejudice as well as his monumental fight against racism.
And one last thought: India's law against homosexuality was originally enacted by the British occupiers of India. Would that be the true "cultural imperialism"?
Apparently, part of this is the feeling in a number of non-Western countries that the U.S. is attempting to impose its cultural values on the rest of the world. And there is something of an argument to be made there. Occasionally, principles oppose each other: no nation allows completely free speech, there are rational exceptions like slander or incitement to violence. But there are principles which are not "American culture", but just plain right. When the Western nations demanded that the Ottoman Empire give up slavery (although it's specifically permitted in the Koran), it wasn't because we saw it as tacky. We saw it for the injustice that it was and is.
And whatever the scriptures may say, homosexuality is almost certainly older than Homo Sapiens itself. Same-gender sexual behavior has been observed in over 400 species besides our own. It is not "Western" to forbid punishing people for being left-handed; for one thing, we are not guiltless -- there was a time when we did consider it inferior. (Check out the roots of the word "sinister".) Likewise, the toleration of sexual orientation is simply what intelligent, clear-thinking people do. It is well worth noting that Nelson Mandela fought against anti-gay and lesbian prejudice as well as his monumental fight against racism.
And one last thought: India's law against homosexuality was originally enacted by the British occupiers of India. Would that be the true "cultural imperialism"?