LET'S LIVE WITHOUT HARMING!: LET'S BE IMPARTIAL AND NOT APPLY DOUBLE STANDARDS

One type of injustice is applying double standards, that is:

1. Overreacting to certain abuses committed by specific individuals or groups, usually rivals.

2. Underreacting or not reacting to others of the same or greater magnitude, but committed by other individuals or groups, usually those with whom we identify.

In other words, punching someone for something they have done, but gently hitting or even patting another on the back for doing exactly the same thing.

Instead, let us put on the blindfold of Justitia, which represents impartiality and objectivity. Justitia is a sculpture that began to be used in the Renaissance and has since symbolized justice, which is why it can be seen in courthouses and tribunals. It is inspired by the Roman goddess of justice and is commonly depicted with a blindfold over her eyes, symbolizing that she is not influenced by appearance, social status, wealth, race, or any other external factor that could sway judgment.

The blindfold indicates that justice must be blind to prejudice, judging solely on objective facts. In addition to the blindfold, the goddess Justitia often holds a scale in one hand, symbolizing the need to carefully weigh and balance evidence.

That is the ideal, but it often differs from reality, as double standards are common. This is very typical of group and faction psychology, as the human brain has a distorting bias in cases of conflict. Below are 3 recent examples that will make this very clear: Russia/Ukraine, Israel/Palestine, and Catalonia/Spain.

RUSSIA/UKRAINE

The first is the war between Russia and Ukraine. Both countries and the pro-Russians in Eastern Donets and Luhansk have committed atrocities since the Donbas war began in 2014, launching missiles at homes or non-military buildings, such as schools, hospitals, or markets, killing innocent civilians, torturing, etc. If anyone does not believe this because their country’s media has only reported on the abuses of the opposing side, they can verify it on Wikipedia, Amnesty International’s website, etc.

Both Russia and the pro-Russians in Donbas, on the one hand, and Ukraine and the West, on the other, cry foul when these abuses are committed by the enemy and speak of war crimes that should be brought before the International Court of Justice in The Hague.

However, they remain silent when their own side commits them, supporting it more or less unconditionally, including the cruelest and most criminal among them, such as the Wagner Group and Kadyrov on the Russian side, and the Azov Regiment (largely composed of neo-Nazis and fascists) on the Ukrainian side. Even the media on both sides, including Western media, report (or misinform) in a very asymmetrical manner.

When there is a conflict in which both sides violate the human rights of innocents, it is not like a football match where one must quickly choose a team to defend unconditionally. On the contrary, what should be defended are the innocent victims on both sides, and one should take a stand against the abusers in both groups.

ISRAEL/PALESTINE

Another example is the atrocities committed by the governments of Israel and Palestine against innocents on the other side. Both adopt a victim mentality regarding the abuses suffered by their enemy, but justify those they commit, even against children and other innocents.

And the same goes for Western governments and individuals who side with the Israeli government, as well as ultra-leftists and Muslims who support Hamas.

CATALONIA/SPAIN

The last example is that of separatists and Spanish nationalists in Catalonia, a topic I know very well because I live in this country (according to the former) or region (according to the latter). Well, Catalan nationalists have repeatedly complained, crying foul, about the grievances committed by Spain against Catalonia, such as fiscal plundering (Catalonia has for years paid much more in taxes to Spain than the compensation it receives, with part of its money going to other regions) or insufficient infrastructure investment.

Also about the cut to the Statute of Autonomy (a kind of regional constitution) approved by the majority of Catalans, the trampling of their right to decide their own future, or the police charges against innocent voters in the independence referendum not authorized by the Spanish State.

And they are right! However, when you mention the grievances they commit, not only do they not condemn them, but they even justify them. These include the unilateral declaration of independence with less than 50% social support (with economic damage and social tension), infrastructure cuts, or the blocking of an airport and train stations. Or the assault on someone for carrying the Spanish flag, graffiti on the house of an individual who displayed said flag, or the marginalization of an innocent child in school because their parents requested that the law requiring some subjects to be taught in Spanish be applied.

In response, they go off on a tangent, giving absurd excuses like Spain being an oppressive state. But is that poor child the “oppressive state”? Or what fault does a poor passenger, who cannot catch their train to return home, have for what that government has done? And with Spanish nationalists, the same thing happens, but in reverse. In reality, they are the same dogs, but with different collars.

I assure you, it used to overwhelm me. Now I take it more calmly, as from observation and scientific verification, I have come to realize that the human brain is designed for this, at least in many people, especially gregarious and herd-minded ones. But this can be highly detrimental, because if there is impunity or laxity with certain abuses, it creates the perfect environment for them to perpetuate.

Read LIVE WITHOUT HARMING: Let’s avoid harmful gregariousness

The good thing is that when we realize it, we tend to avoid it. If you do, we will live in a better world, with fewer injustices and harms. They say you cannot be both judge and party, but in reality, you can. Therefore, let us not be partisan, but impartial. Let us not be sectarian, but objective. Let us not view everything based on our own interest, that of our loved ones, and our group, but in a more global and neutral way.

But this is not enough; it is also necessary for the rest of the 8 billion inhabitants of the planet to be just, which is why I encourage you to share this with all or most of your contacts and on all your social networks.

Thank you,