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| "Syndics of the Drapers' Guild" (1662) by Rembrandt |
One way to account for why white men would avoid punishing another white man for committing such a crime is that they felt loyalty for "one of their own."
When, if ever, is it appropriate to attribute a higher importance to demonstrating loyalty to the members of your own subgroup than it is to behave as an impartial judge?
Is it ever acceptable to show favoritism to family members over strangers, for example? Or to fellow countrymen over citizens of other countries?
People often show a sort of favoritism to family members and acquaintances over strangers when it comes to selling land or hiring employees. Some offer to sell land to family before opening the sale to the public. Similarly, if a position opens in the workplace, employers often hire from within, staying loyal to promote their own employees before hiring an outsider. These practices are accepted by many, but they’re not necessarily fair. Even if an outsider is hired, employers are more likely to hire someone they know. Throughout our education, we are taught the importance of networking for this reason. However, the problem with this sort of thinking is that a more qualified candidate may be overlooked simply because an employer knew one of the applicants. As immigrants have come to America in search of jobs, they have faced this sort of discrimination. That is why the controversial affirmative action measures were put in place. Although loyalty is honorable, there are times when it is appropriate and times when it is not. When loyalty causes us to overlook the truth, the line is crossed.
ReplyDeleteI agree. It is natural to favor family members over a stranger, but love is blind. Take Mollie for example; at first she refused to believe that her husband had anything to do with the murders, because he was family and she trusted him. It is hard to imagine that someone you love would be capable of committing a horrible crime. However, loyalty to loved ones is admired, but only to a point, as it sometimes clouds our better judgement from the truth. Even if it is easier to be biased or loyal to people related or similar to ourselves, it is not only unfair but it will have a limited outcome.The best resolution to a problem might include someone we do not necessarily or directly relate to, but it could have the most positive outcome. Nobody will ever learn or expand if they stay in their secluded bubbles of other like-minded individuals.
DeleteI believe people should look after their own family more than that of a stranger. I also believe countries should ban together and make sure they are in a good state before trying to aide another country. As with all the immigration and refuges from the countries in the Middle East, I believe a country should evaluate their selves first and see if they are in a good shape domestically before taking any refuges. Countries such as Italy, who refused to let a ship of refuges dock and unload due to having to many refuges already, should fix their own issues before bring in more people and therefore more problems.
ReplyDeleteI agree, most people show favoritism towards family and friends. This natural tendency to protect and take care of your own comes before helping others. I think making sure your family is taken care of and supported should come before giving others, but aiding others should also be a priority. Then comes the battle between loyalty and truth. Should one lie to protect a loved one, or is the truth more important? I believe it depends on the person, some are loyal to a fault while others choose truth no matter the consequence. Is one wrong or right? Again, each person has different morals and core values to decide.
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