Honor killings my ass

So another year is about to come to an end. 2005 went by rather fast. It was my last year in college, and for that I think it to be a great year. Im not one of those that likes to look back at a year right before the next one starts. Im about simplicity and progress. So instead of writing about the year that was, I will instead focus on something that has always pissed me off: people pretending they're morally superior to others.

I was surfin' the net as I always do, and I came across an article about this pakistani male who killed four of his daughters in order to maintain his family name. Apperantly the eldest of the daughters committed adultery, which in the minds of many muslim males is a capital offense. So, the guy figures that this act should cost the life of his daughter, for her actions have brought shame to the family. Furthermore, in a preventative move, he also decides that it is best for his family to get rid of any potential future acts of adultery by slaining the rest of his daughters, aged 4, 7, and 8. So, he purchases a machete and slits the throats of all his daughters. This is done in front of his wife and newborn baby boy (lucky for him he's a boy). There's nothing she can do about it, because he threatens her with her life if she were to resist.

So there you go. That's life in Pakistan. Daughters get killed for stupid shit like that. I find it ironic that killing four of your own daughters brings less shame than supposedly having sex outside the marrigae does. You might think this to be an extreme and rare case that only happens in backward countries such as Pakistan. Well, this is the 260th such incident this year alone. That's 260 people, mostly women, who were killed becaues they brought "shame" to their families.

While this doesn't happen everywhere, the faulty logic that leads people to reach certain conclusions is evident anywhere you go. For instance, people love to be critical of others. It's just human nature, I guess. I do it. Im sure you do it. Everyone does it. It's always easier to notice the faults of others better than your own. This is also a problem when it comes time to make decisions.

Usually in american politics, there are alot of issues that only concern a small portion of the country. Yet, the entire country gets to vote on it. For instance, many people have a problem with assisted-suicides. They feel uncomfortable with the notion that someone is basically given the license to kill someone else. It's unnatural, and it's immoral. But, none of those people are in that predicament. None of those people have to deal with the pain. Yet, without hesitation they put in their two cents, as if it is worth anything to someone.

This sort-of holier than thou bullshit needs to stop. Take care of yourself and your family, and stop pretending that somehow you're morally superior to anyone else. Before making decisions for others, think about if the decisions affect you directly (and no, the potential risk to your children does not count; stop using your kids as a crutch.... ill be sure to talk about that another time), and then decide if you should make that choice.

You're not better than anyone else, and im sure if we sat around analyzing your insignifant life, we'd find plenty worse than adultery.