CR #6

There is a fact that I learned from taking psychology course last year. It is easy to believe that we have free will, that we could choose between chocolate ice cream and strawberry ice cream, Burger King and McDonald's. Psychoanalytic theory tells us that the id, or the unconsciousness, formed by memories of childhood we don't fully remember, makes a person choose or do things. Behavior psychologists believe we were learned to act at a certain way. Social psychology tells us people are easily influenced by authority and other people. Diffusion of responsibility is a good example. Here is a link to a video about diffusion of responsibility, the Bystander Effect, and the infamous case of murder of Genovese.


(The uploader disabled embed html....  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9mI_ear1Pf0&ytsession=N1SbuuyGsCLWDdO550fkjZesvJN3Au9ZPtvc9hlrSCMHUSfVxBJxdVhKmSMyBP5MUJ068ubFHWPTMxY3km-ZMBJeQ-kbdY0iCXsF6Gw9AOBctDzKAxUzDTxdkw5Nof372l6kCqUaguY_Ca0tkFeJGazhBK60Rl4O7M0QKqA6zpwhZxmWRkS1PNSqOjMjRiaXEmDthuLdmrwsmWOMhZwFFT4QA-PaDCCnEKdn9JoQoVRoarQOYAULHC8wxfpTT6V7q8J1GpY5UHQonOiDJKVjmRh3JY_XBy04)




This is a video clip made by EBS.





Then why am I talking about psychology all the sudden? Although cognitive psychologists disagree, it is commonly known that men are extremely easy to predict. If we exaggerate this point, "all men are the same." Shortly summarized, all men are selfish. We may be learned to be polite and just, but we are not good at hiding instincts in certain situations as many psychology theory tells us.


Of course, I do not believe everyone is cruel and irresponsible, nor do extreme social psychologists. A small percentage of people is responsible and unaffected by circumstances that discourage them to do the right things. But when it becomes a group, those people are of a minority.


Then how can a whole country become moral? Impossible. "Kicking the ladder." I believe it was a title of some book about economics. It explains why USA likes FTA so much. Free Trade Agreement. No tariffs for imports and exports between two countries. Economically developing countries need tariffs so their yet not fully developed industries could be protected and grow, since they are not ready to compete with the best companies in the world. This is how US grew to the most economically powerful nation. But now, USA is asking other countries no tariffs, because US product is better than others, and they want to export their stuff as much as possible. Kicking the ladder. They climbed up the ladder, but they don't want anyone to climb it up anymore, so they're kicking it. Many US economics experts come out and state the merits of FTA, but all USA want to do is stay competitive and earn money. I'm not blaming USA. That's what a country is. Selfish. Selfish enough to be called cruel.


What is diplomacy? It's calculation. We know USA is strong, so everybody teams up and send soldiers to Iraq. When Korea sent soldiers to Iraq, it really has nothing to gain. But we know we'll be in big trouble when we disobey America. We don't actually team up with US because we are culturally similar or anything else. Relationship between countries cannot be compared with relationship between people. If countries were really friends, they would try to give each other things, not negotiate. Negotiating is the art of cunningness, to take the most and to give the least.


Kwonsok said America is a country that does anything to protect the rights and freedom of its citizens. If America was doing the best they can, they would have used the money that they used to the military who were trained to kill Bin Laden to the poverty. In the movie "V for Vendetta," V says "A building is a symbol, as is the act of destroying it. Symbols are given power by people. A symbol, in and of itself is powerless, but with enough people behind it, blowing up a building can change the world." when he explained about blowing up the parliament. Bin Laden was a symbol. The act of killing Bin Laden was also a symbol. Many terrorists are still alive and ready to terrorize - actually killing Bin Laden angered them. It actually endangered the lives, freedom and rights of US citizens. But US could not give up killing Bin Laden. He was a symbol of terrorism and US had to bring him down.


V for Vendetta video

US isn't really concerned about democracy and human rights in other countries. People in the US might be. But not the country. No country is actually quite interested in giving out their resources for no good. For every action the country is making, there is something the country can gain from that action. The country might miscalculate, but it was never for good intent.


And to answer Kwonsok's question, every country is selfish. I would rather like a world where everyone is trying to help each other, but mankind is too simple to develop that way. Prisoner's Dilemma just don't allow a country to be selfless. In this cold war, we should lower our levels to being selfish. Yes, sadly we should be selfish.


Whether it is justifiable is another question. The answer depends on the definition of "justifiable." But if we were to be strict, being selfish would be never justifiable.






Debate Motion


1. THB UN has the right to interfere other countries' policies.
2. THB we should send soldiers to war where our allies engage. (US, Europe, etc...)
3. THS the enforcement of international law in every country.