The Inequality of Cultures

I had the mixed fortune of attending a small, Christian liberal arts college for my master's degree. I won't elaborate on my use of the word "mixed" at this time, other than the point that, at this institution, there was an underlying current of thought that believed in the relative equality of cultures, something that can be referred to with the tediously academic term: cultural egalitarianism. This view wasn't held by everyone, of course, as there were some sane people at that school, but it surfaced with surprising frequency.

The reason I mention this is that this view is alarmingly pervasive in our culture today and its occurrences (evidenced in the West's various interactions with Muslim culture) have put me into a nolstagic frame of mind, hence my college reflection.

Strange, though, that the college adherents of cultural egalitarianism tended to be vegetarians for the most part. A high percentage of females in that demographic also had progressive views on shaving their legs, deodorant and war.

At any rate, I would offer a brief example to debunk the idea of cultural egalitarianism. A brother of mine works as a pilot down in the Amazon, flying a floatplane around the jungle and doing his part to pollute the rainforest. He's told me of a tribe there whose normal behavior would certainly raise eyebrows in Kansas (and might raise an eyebrow or two in New York). This behavior includes, but is not limited to, activity such as raping chickens, the public molestation of children and indulging in casual murder.

So, are all cultures equal?