Cultural Relativism In Mexico City
What is cultural relativism, and how does the vision of ethics associated with it diverge from the traditional ethical theories?
Cultural relativism dismisses the idea that there is one final moral code to abide by; one moral code is also not superior to another. (Brusseau, pg.154) One major way this differs from traditional ethics is it directs one to conform to the society around them, abandoning whatever their own personal ethics are. The approach of "When in Rome, do as the Romans do" does best personify this.
The Mexico City process of getting and paying off a traffic ticket is different from the process in other countries. What values and advantages can be associated with the process in Mexico City? How can it be justified in ethical terms? …show more content…
The advantages go to the people being pulled over and to the police. If someone doesn't have the money to pay off the officer on the spot, then the worst case scenario is getting the ticket like they were supposed to otherwise. The police benefit by making better wages, because the money they get from bribes aren't taxed and also do not have to go through a process first. (Brusseau, pg.195)
Ethical terms: Ideally, the city wants a police force to maintain safe streets by punishing people who break the law. In Mexico City, the police maintain good pay and people are punished for breaking the law still. Otherwise, under the major's orders, if the police did not hand out traffic tickets, the streets are now a lawless land and the police make less
Cultural relativism dismisses the idea that there is one final moral code to abide by; one moral code is also not superior to another. (Brusseau, pg.154) One major way this differs from traditional ethics is it directs one to conform to the society around them, abandoning whatever their own personal ethics are. The approach of "When in Rome, do as the Romans do" does best personify this.
The Mexico City process of getting and paying off a traffic ticket is different from the process in other countries. What values and advantages can be associated with the process in Mexico City? How can it be justified in ethical terms? …show more content…
The advantages go to the people being pulled over and to the police. If someone doesn't have the money to pay off the officer on the spot, then the worst case scenario is getting the ticket like they were supposed to otherwise. The police benefit by making better wages, because the money they get from bribes aren't taxed and also do not have to go through a process first. (Brusseau, pg.195)
Ethical terms: Ideally, the city wants a police force to maintain safe streets by punishing people who break the law. In Mexico City, the police maintain good pay and people are punished for breaking the law still. Otherwise, under the major's orders, if the police did not hand out traffic tickets, the streets are now a lawless land and the police make less