I hate Baldies
Well, just eat the chips.
The Chief Minister of Hairland listens to the Relatavians for a time and then silences them. He tells the Relatavians that the custom after people have had a disagreement is to go on a Baldie Hunt, which will provide them with something to eat afterwards.
Most of the Relatavian delegation agree that customs must be respected (partly out of fear that something worse may result if they don’t acquiesce). The Baldie member of the delegation wonders whether they have any principles at all. But the hunt is exciting and the subsequent banquet very tasty.
The trade talks are successful and the Relatavians go home. Some time later, though, a Loveland newspaper publishes the background to the agreement and claims that it’s all rather unethical and a betrayal of principle. The Relatavians wonder whose principle has been betrayed and the story fades away since eating people is a minor ethical matter when it’s done amicably.
The discussion in the back of the book can be boiled down to “custom is king”, which is then illustrated by various tales from Herodotus about the customs of various peoples such as eating the dead, sacrificing the elderly, killing and eating the sick as soon as possible.
If there’s one thing I’ve learnt in Huaxia, it is that it’s bloody difficult to change custom. There’s absolutely no point in trying to change the habits of my pupils or expect them to change. In fact, custom really is king here because if the law goes against it, it loses. I’ve been told about bans on fireworks in various places, but come the Spring Festival, the ban is ignored. I believe there are even laws against spitting in some places, but it took the SARS crisis to stop it for a time before it started again.
As the Chief Minister of Hairland said, “When in Rome, do as the Romans do.” Thus other people’s customs have to be tolerated making relativists of us all.
Most of the Relatavian delegation agree that customs must be respected (partly out of fear that something worse may result if they don’t acquiesce). The Baldie member of the delegation wonders whether they have any principles at all. But the hunt is exciting and the subsequent banquet very tasty.
The trade talks are successful and the Relatavians go home. Some time later, though, a Loveland newspaper publishes the background to the agreement and claims that it’s all rather unethical and a betrayal of principle. The Relatavians wonder whose principle has been betrayed and the story fades away since eating people is a minor ethical matter when it’s done amicably.
The discussion in the back of the book can be boiled down to “custom is king”, which is then illustrated by various tales from Herodotus about the customs of various peoples such as eating the dead, sacrificing the elderly, killing and eating the sick as soon as possible.
If there’s one thing I’ve learnt in Huaxia, it is that it’s bloody difficult to change custom. There’s absolutely no point in trying to change the habits of my pupils or expect them to change. In fact, custom really is king here because if the law goes against it, it loses. I’ve been told about bans on fireworks in various places, but come the Spring Festival, the ban is ignored. I believe there are even laws against spitting in some places, but it took the SARS crisis to stop it for a time before it started again.
As the Chief Minister of Hairland said, “When in Rome, do as the Romans do.” Thus other people’s customs have to be tolerated making relativists of us all.
It seems that the point I raised in the second to last paragraph above comes back to haunt us tomorrow. Custom vs. the Law! Grudge match of the millennia!
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