Originally Posted by TM875

I believe that in a lot of cultures, including most Muslim countries, it is.

I'm not going to pick apart your statement, but realize how narrowminded and elitest it is. I'm not defending beating women - I would never do that nor condone doing it in the United States - but realize that our culture is not the be all and end all of World Society. Thoughts and comments like yours are part of the reason that a good chunk of the world hates us.

Yes, to us beating women is morally and culturally wrong. So is enslaving children, so is caning prisioners, so is systematically destroying opposing ethnic groups. But realize that this is something that sociologically we, as a society and ONLY our society, have grown to accept. In our past, we have made children slaves (1920s factories), we have used barbaric punishments on prisioners (16 and 1700s), and we have systematically destroyed many original ethnic groups (need I mention the American Indian?). Today, in our world, we would not accept these actions. But we did. And no American hates all Americans because we once did this.

Culture is relative. It may seem okay for us to wear jeans and worship the pop singer on that magazine cover, but the rest of the world may not see it that way. Many find how we live our lives and how we treat other people (yes, even women in our culture) as disgusting. Whose to say who is right?

To believe that we're superior just because we're...us...is to be no better than that man who is beating his wife. In fact, it's worse - he's not trying to make us beat our wives, now is he?

EDIT for clarity: When I refer to "our society" I am referring to the United States and most Western European nations. Please don't use the argument of "other countries support not beating your wife, so then it must be right". That's the fallacy of begging the question.