[Conscious Pirate]

No kb, & I'm sorry to be so trite about it, but morality is quite objective, because it is universal in nature. The study of philosophy (the precursor & basis of the scientific method - which is widely accepted these days) shows us this.

We just don't study philosophy anymore or recognise its objectivity because of it's "inconvenience" (we see this in science too). Heck, we even talk about "your philosophy" & "my philosophy" - neither of which actually exist. Philosophy is philosophy. Evidence + Reason/Logic = Virtue begets Happiness.

Subjective Experience & Perspective is yours to own (& ours to recognise) & does not belong to philosophy.

[puckerman]

My initial reaction to this article was hatred. Now I just feel pity and sadness. What happens to these people that makes them turn out like this?

My pussified first cousin perhaps provides a good example. He was born in 1957, a time when boys were still expected to be boys. His father was a factory worker and worked with his hands a lot--doing maintenance work on the house, expanding the porch, etc. One of his grandfathers was a plant manager and also a really smart guy. His other grandfather (also mine) was a man who cut the grass with a push mower on a steep hillside until he died at 79. He was also building stuff, working with his hands and in a garden. He also worked at a glass factory. His role models were pretty manly.

His mother (my aunt) had a daughter who died at the age of four. No doubt, this impacted her. she wouldn't let my cousin do anything when he was growing up. She was the classic case of a helicopter parent, long before the term was fashionable. He got into nerdy stuff at a time when nerds were despised. He was a Trekker when everyone thought they were crazy. He never developed the confidence that comes from taking risks, climbing trees, playing sports, or anything similar to that. He was never encouraged to grow up.

I suspect a lot of these people grow up with over-bearing, over-protective mothers. I don't think the situation will get any better in America anytime soon. I fear it will get worse.