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ecollier's picture

Exposure ≠ Acceptance

Mentioned in Thursday’s class was the possibility of people being more tolerant of societally/culturally unacceptable ideas (such as incest/homosexuality) if they have had more exposure to it. Although I’m completely willing to entertain this idea, I have not had exposure to incest in the slightest. The most I’ve seen of incest was an art installation about it once… and it was a bit disturbing and strange, yet in more ways than just incest. Plus it was art: free reign. Paul mentioned that with homosexuality (or non-heterosexuality, rather) people who had “exposure” to those people, they soon realize that those people are just people, but also gay. With exposure, we begin to disassociate the stigmatized immoral groupings that those people may fit into. 

So… back to the beginning: I believe that the reason I was willing to be okay with Haidt’s scenario, was because I have spent a considerable amount of time consciously trying to be capable of opening my mind to new and different norms. Also, my parents never taught me that incest was a bad thing. Its not as if they were supportive of it, but it just never came up. I formulated my own morality and method by which to judge good/bad action without any rules so limiting to which there would be no exceptions (i.e. incest).

 

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