It's funny you mention this. I was just thinking about this subject the other day.
I am finding myself ever increasingly annoyed at society's consistent and ever-expanding use of the "shades of grey" theory. It irks me how people seem to go out of their way to create said grey area in an attempt to justify whatever action they feel obligated to get away with.
Baseless divorce, adultery, humiliation, and other actions seem to be thrown into the mix. There is way to much emphasis these days, on flexing certain "rights" without taking any type of responsibility under many circumstances.
Murder is bad. Rape is bad. Fire bombing someones house for fun is bad. These examples are put forth for those in society who live a prototypical lifestyle. There is no middle ground. And this is where the trouble begins.
Very few people have the forsight to realise that this world and jockeying for position in respects of the aquisition of personal gain, as it stands today, is built on moderation. Your boss(whom may not like you) is not going to slam you up against the nearest wall and scream "I am harassing you now!" No. They will pick at you. Your dignity. Your self esteem. Until you up and leave or fall into step to satiate their god-complex. Those around you who might hear you complain about it will, in all ignorance(and a little relief that it's not them), mock you for it. "Well, it's not like they're slamming you up against a wall and yelling at you or anything." Until, of course, it happens to them.
Corporations in general are also living proof of this. Do you work for one? Try finding out how the standards of living for you are today in the workforce as opposed to the 70's or even 80's.
Human nature, however, is dealt the worst blow. The last example was a segue-ish food for thought ideal. But, if you really want to see the so-called shades of grey mentality, then look at how our society has regressed. Thanks to reality shows, pop culture in both the cinema and especially our music industry, you begin to see the pattern of loose responsibility take place.
People will now be able to see others in the media destroy any sense of honor or decency they may have posessed thrown out the window for the home audiance. Supposing that there is someone on the other side of the screen wrestling with their concience over any matter that is plaguing their lives. Well, there comes the problem. They will look to these media figures as proof that others are just as bad. If not worse. So johnny or jenny six pack decide that if Julia Roberts can steal someones spouse away from their betrothed and STILL be seen as a good person, then why can't they? After all, it's not like they murdered anyone or anything like that.
Many would argue that people were shit long before reality shows were ever invented. I can agree with that point to an extent. TV sure as fuck isn't helping.
Generation-X and the latchkey generation were the pinnacles of our downward slide towards selfish gratification at any costs. Ours was the first(GEN-X, I mean) to absolve ourselves of any responsibility. We were raised by TV. A big fucking mistake. Now we have 30 to 38 year olds still latching on to their high school mentality: Gotta look good so cute boys/girls will like me. Gotta get laid or I'm a loser, Gotta buy the newest Calvin Klein cologne/perfume or my friends won't like me any more. All the while judging others on appearences, social status, and even music. Those who don't conform are ostracized. But that's okay. As long as we tell all our friends/family/aquaintances that we have to end racism as loudly as possible so that everyone in the mall can hear how intigrationalistic we are, then we're good to go.
Honestly, I don't even know why we spend so much time fighting the war on drugs. When two whole generations are destroying themselves and societys outlook on decency just to make themselves feel better about their own lives, then why the living hell do we even think we have the audacity to pull that crack pipe from jimmy twitches hand? Well, because, adultery, promiscuity, STD's are NATURAL and BIOLOGICAL...Drugs are made in a lab. That's not right. Right?
Have you ever noticed that when a bunch of assholes are wrong about something, they will band together and hack on the single one person who proved them wrong? The one who made them feel like idiots? They mock him. Humiliate him. Degrade him. Why? Because they don't want to feel stupid. There are more of them than the smart guy. So let the ripping begin. Now try to imagine something like this ever-growing on a national, and then international level over a period of about ten to fifteen years...Kind of like those Zombies from night of the living dead.
There is no grey area when somebody else is going to get hurt for no reason...PERIOD!
