I have no faith at all in the formulations of anyone who insists that they know the absolute truth, moral or otherwise, in any matter, or people who ignore the real interests of others while insisting on their own "moral imperatives" at the expense of other "moral imperatives." This, of course, is a tricky point, involving all sorts of things. But anyone with the least familiarity with history, or with how things are done in their profession, knows that the most hideous acts against others have often been carried out by people who have "known" they were on the moral high ground. Adolf Hitler is an outstanding example of this.

The only way in which various "imperatives" can be reconciled is within a structural context. As long as there is no discussion of structural matters, the same sorry state of "I am right, you are wrong" will continue.

If one were to fight every act of unfairness in life, what time would be left for anything else? People must decide for themselves what battles are worth fighting. If one wants real changes, however, energy is better spent where there is some hope of bringing about structural change.

While I have praised the morally commited, real commitment can come after a close examination of the particular circumstances in broad context. Certainly one must ask what kind of world, community, or so on, is wanted. But it is commitment to one of these things, above all, which already give the unthinking moralists their perspectives. Beyond these social units, there are questions for the "social contracts" themselves, such as: What is free speech? What is property? What is freedom? And a host of others. These are the questions which should be considered before one decides where one stands "morally" even on a matter such as mascots.

-- Melburn D. Thurman (posted 4/9, 9:50 a.m., U.S. Eastern time)

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