Basically every human society has made in its history clear moral differences regarding the treatment of humans of their own social group and that of other groups. The citizen of so-called "civilized people" relaxes with the nowledge that they have overcome such conditions.
Yet, in spite of this believe, modern mass societies and democracies still have, when we take a closer look, at their core the archaic structures which they believe only still exist in "primitive" societies.
Double standards are present everywhere and sociobiology refers to this phenomenon with the term „ingroup outgroup "- moral. The same strict moral (human) laws and rights that are applied for members of their own social group, are not applied to the members of other groups. The British philosopher John Leslie Mackie (1917-1981) wrote: „It is for people (a nation, culture, civilisation.) no contradiction to impose the finest moral standards towards their own people and to use simultaneously extreme inhumanity and cruelty towards humans, whom they regard in any form as strange or alien".
The history of the former British Empire is a good example: While having the finest standards and behavioural forms inside the English society, as well as one of the earliest democracies in Europa, British soldiers committed genocides and mass killings in the colonies with overwhelming fire power of the modern european military technologies to crack down insurgencies of the indiginous and exploited peoples of other races, religions and cultures which violently by military force had been incorporated into the anglosaxon empire of the "supreme white race" as europeans considered themselves in the 19th century.
This internal and outside moral is connected to its biological origins and thus the reason of all double moral and standards: a biological principle of human behaviour.
Double standards are present throughout the whole history of mankind:
In wars the propaganda always demonized the opponent as non human whom to kill in all kind of manners and cruelties is a moral act and an act of heroism. However the killing of the own comrade or the killing of a member of their own social group (their own nation, race, culture, denomination) is a deeply despicable act and murder thus severely sanctioned and punished by the community accordingly.
Also current political conflicts along cultural borders and along rich and poor societies (North and south) show indications of this biologically caused double moral, both in public opinion and media as well as in the actions of responsible persons in politics and society. The consequence and the elementary of this principle of the internal and outside moral are so strongly present in human nature that democratic societies are just as affected by it as dictatorships or theocratic states.
With the rather black-white-drawing concept of the "clash of civilisation" (Huntington) this still present fact has become part of the discussion and the mind of a broader public.
Since the end of the cold war a clear enemy was lacking in western societies. Now with the recent developments and those of the past 6 years "holy wars" and "crusades" against "axis of evil", "big and small devils" and the struggle for world energy resources replaced the confrontation between east and west.
Movies with clear "good and evil"-messages are booming and meet the elementary wish of humans to live out that biogenetical and evolutionary inherited biological principle of the double moral.
The devastating wars, which in particular the allegedly more civilized north fought on its soils and the development of war machines in the last century which would allow a total overkill of ourselves, has led to the insight that the biological principle of ingroup and outgroup-moral, of double standards as part of the human nature is so dominant in us that only strong cultural efforts can overcome this.
Higher moral-civilization standards accounting to all humans (like the general human rights for all men) are always hard work which have to be achieved against an opposing human nature.
This insight and the horror of the man slaughtering of World War II resulted in the declaration of the human rights, which proceeds from the equality of all humans, at least on the written paper.
The aim to achieve and to establish these high moral standards often fails at realities. While the industrialized nations of the northern hemisphere succeed half-decently to maintain a certain standard of human rights within their own societies the situation in the rest of the world often is pathetic.
At the same time new borders are established between the rich north, consisting of what is called the occident (i.e. North America and Europe) and other cultures, races, religions und along gaps of wealth hence giving clear evidence of establishing an ingroup and outgroup moral, only now in a broader context at the level of civilisations.
Recent conflicts and wars support this old and at the same time new finding.
Considering these sobering developments and perspectives the sad conclusion has to be drawn, that the dream of implementing human rights globally remains an illusion.
Literature. Christian Vogel: „Vom Töten zum Mord – Das wirklich Böse in der Evolutionsgeschichte". Hanser-Verlag, München 1989.
("From killing to murder, the real evil in evolution.")
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