>> must ask a question: why must all cultures be respected? It seems to me that some cultures are positively respulsive and should be shunned, and loudly denounced.

I don't know whoever said all cultures must be respected.

I think the problem here is something else. Nobody wants to say that a culture - or something widely believed - and many times of course people pretend that something is more more widely beleived than it is - cannot be evil.

But we know very well that a widespread culture can be evil. Certainly this is accepted as posisble anywhere in general Western civilization. I won't talk aboyt naziism, becaus ethat didn't last and we can say also was politically imposed, but we had slavery, we had very strong white racism in places like Mississippi.

So of course it is idiotic to believe that nothing greatly evil an happen in the Moslem world or n Africa.

But the problem is, in some people's world view those people are poorer off in some way - so they CAN'T be evil.

But that stated so bladly, is absurd.

But apparently it is a problem for some people.

Now sonetimes a culture can not deserve respect but not necessarily be anything we have to strongly campaign against. An example would be Madasgascar (I think) where I read in the New York Times theer is a widespread custom of digging up graves, having a party at which the dead people - or a bone at least - is presnet, sometimes walking them around to introduce them to new members of the family, updating them on events and then dressing them in new shrouds and burying them again. This can happen every 7 to 10 years. If someone else is mistakenly dug uop they need new shrouds too. Nobiody is quite sure where this custom originated from. Families sometimes get split up - they argue - because some members - more Christian usually - don't wnat to do this and don't want to pay for this. This custiom is expensive. That is maybe something that does not deserve respect but it is also nothing to worry about and perhaops nothing governments need to suppress. On the other hand, the old Hundu custom of a qwidow throwing herself on her husband's funeralpyre - that neeced to be suppressed.

Sammy:

The notion that all cultures deserve equal respect is widespread on our elite campuses and is a given in our liberal newspapers. It's supposedly a reaction against, ahem, imperialism. I say it's a bad case of the stupids.

This has been a leitmotif in the writings of an author many of us admire: Mark Helprin. He brings up the example of a culture that practices child sacrifice. Should we "celebrate" and respect that culture too? It's good food for thought.

Don't be fooled. Many of those who say we should celebrate every culture are actually bent on celebrating the so-called "have-nots" and bashing Western Civilization, no matter what. I think there is a good case to be made that some cultures have been brushed aside rather harshly, but a lot of the so-called have-nots in the world deserve to be that way and I sure hope they stay that way too. There is no other explanation for leftist groups who otherwise support women's and gay rights siding with Islamic regimes. As there was also no other explanation for conservative groups cozying up fascist dictators during the cold war. This is about making friends of convenience to stick it to a long-term enemy.

So no, we don't have to respect all cultures. But we shouldn't be fooled into thinking anybody truly does. It's a charade that masks a very angry agenda.

Jake:

You are confusing "respecting other cultures" with real world politics. Apples and oranges.