Can culture effect our reason? Ruminate on these two examples of cultural contamination.
Example 1. If a couple of an aboriginal and white union have a child and their relationship breaks down, you then have a parent with aboriginal ancestry getting on cultural grounds a swag of advantages about rights to that child, and that child must be raised in that culture, etc.
Example 2. Recently, AFL Richmond defender, Bachar Houli, was suspended for two weeks ("a relatively light suspension"), for intentionally striking Carlton's Jed Lamb, in an off-ball incident. "During the ninety minute [match review panel] hearing, Houli, a devout Muslim gave evidence that he had never - and would never - intentionally hit another person as he was a peaceful religious man." I saw the "incident" on television. Houli deliberately struck down Lamb with a swinging arm. There was no contested play for the ball. Thankfully and quickly, in social media, past AFL players complained about the leniency of the penalty. In a quick response, the AFL appealed the decision and the more appropriate penalty of four weeks was imposed, for this unprovoked assault.
Change one word in this story - Muslim to Catholic. Would there have been a need for an appeal? Cardinal George Pell will need divine intervention, to save him from the cultural mind-set of a Victorian jury.
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