Has anyone ever noticed that if you take the moral high ground you don’t have to apologize or explain? And if you attack the other person vigorously enough there is always the chance that neither they, nor any onlookers, will perceive that you are just as wrong as anyone else. A useful tool for our controversial toolbox. Of course, there are ways to do it: you can pull age, rank, popularity, credentials, etc. It works because there is a real legitimacy to at least some of those items; but it is a real legitimacy that is prostituted in the service of avoiding the embarrassing conclusion that in spite of all those qualifications, you acted like a jerk or a weasel.
8 replies on “Moral High Ground”
I’ve noticed that. But, while not age, nor rank, nor popularity, nor credentials will sway me, to a cute little pink nose and long curving whiskers I admit to being a pushover.
Well, I guess cuteness is another road to the moral high ground, huh?
The problem with the moral high ground is that we almost always leave it in order to conduct the attack.
I think of Jesus’ attack on the moneychangers. That was moral high ground itself conducting the attack. He fought for the honor of his father, we tend to fight for the honor of ourselves.
But I think the cute weasles need to be cut some slack. I don’t like them stealing eggs or sneaking about feed stores, but they at least come by their nature honestly. ;)
Well, it sounds like being a weasel is far more likely to be successful than being a jerk. I shall have to remember that.
The weasel is kind of precious. I’ve had him up on the screen for several days and keep thinking how much I would like to hug him, with his sweet clattery paws. Maybe in lieu of children we could raise some weasels?
Weasels are a little like ferrets, and you may recall that we think of Katie’s ferret as a bizarre obsession and think of him as the eminently killable rat. Say hi to Grandpa for me.
My Covenant Cat is one thing; I think a Covenant Weasel would be over the top.
Cute little wugger, though.
Lauren, do I detect some favoritism?