In the local religious culture, you are not supposed to watch rated R movies. It's not forbidden, but it's discouraged. The following analogy relates to this rule.
A father and daughter are chatting over breakfast one morning. The daughter asks if she can go with friends to watch a particular rated R movie. The father of course, says no.
"But Daddy, it's not a bad movie! It has one or two bad parts in it but the rest is all fine!"
The father still says "no." The daughter says she hates him and flees to her room.
The next day she comes home from school and finds her dad waiting for her.
"Hi honey! I made you some brownies."
"Oh thanks Daddy! I love you!"
"Now before you eat these brownies you should know I used only the finest ingredients to make them. Except for one thing."
"What?"
"I put a teeny-tiny bit of dog poop in them."
"What?!? Eww gross!!"
"Now now, it's only a teeny-tiny bit of poop. The rest of the brownies are really good!"
"How can you say that! They're ruined!"
"Well now you can see how just a tiny bit of evil can ruin something, just like your rated R movie."
YIKES. What a load of crap (well, just a teeny-tiny bit really) but applied in a different context it can have a good moral.
I try to explain all the time why I am such a stickler for the law, but people don't get it. When I mention that I can't bring alcohol into Home State people often suggest I do it anyway.
Just because I can get away with it doesn't mean I should do it, yet people don't understand.
A little bit of law-breaking can ruin me, and how can I expect to offer justice when I am ruined?
Of course, that presupposes the law in question is just, which I don't find laws restricting my consumption of alcohol to be. Civil disobedience when faced with such an injustice/otherwise crappy law actually strengthens, not undermines, the legal system, particularly given the opportunity for judicial review.
ReplyDeleteBut, yuck, what an awful analogy. Guarantee it came out of some church publication on how to brainwash, er, raise your children properly. My parents definitely read all of those!