Sneak Peek: USA vs. Russia (and China), Late Term Abortion, Marijuana Legalization
We are publishing three new conversations from Eastern Europe this week. Here is the early release for Substack subscribers:
Tuesday
While Peter Boghossian was in Eastern Europe, he presented claims comparing the United States and Russia. In this conversation in Debrecen, Hungary, the claim was, “I would rather be ruled by the USA than Russia.”
We hear interesting critiques of both countries from these university students. The United States receives praise for its constitution, having a strong GDP, and democratic government. Critiques of the U.S. include its treatment of Puerto Rico, war crimes in Iraq, and a divisive media landscape. While Russia doesn’t receive any direct praise, the participants who remain on neutral see the comparison between Russia and the U.S. as choosing between “the lesser of two evils,” one commenting that “both are bullies.”
Peter is unsuccessful at moving the neutral parties in either direction on the spectrum. However, he presents a new claim near the end of the conversation: “I would rather be ruled by the USA than China.” Just wait until you see the results!
Wednesday
You may think you’ve heard every argument regarding abortion, but this spectrum discussion in Budapest brings new life to the debate (pun intended). Peter Boghossian engages five participants in three claims about when abortion should be allowed: In the third trimester? The second? The first? At the end, he asks the participants who remain opposed to abortion if it should be allowed on the day of conception.
As expected, defining when life begins is part of the conversation. Other topics include how abortion plays into the “common good” of society and how “quality of life” is defined. A woman who says she is a biologist argues that sperm contains “the full set [of DNA]” and is alive.
Thursday
Marijuana is illegal in Romania, but according to one Romanian, it’s a popular drug. In this discussion, we hear two viewpoints about legalization.
A Hungarian woman living in Romania slightly disagrees with the claim, “Marijuana should be legal.” She believes marijuana’s harmful effects, like memory loss and impaired attention, would become widespread if it were legal. While she notes the ill effects of marijuana, she says, “I know I would like it and would use it again and again” if it were legal. She believes people would be afraid to leave their homes for fear of skirmishes with marijuana users who couldn’t control their actions.
On the other side, a Romanian gentleman agrees with the claim. He says marijuana has positive qualities, like cell regeneration and stress reduction. “People smoke a lot of weed here,” he says, including body-builders like him. He argues that legalization would lead to safer marijuana for the public.
Share your comments here on Substack or on YouTube (or both)!
Peter,
Thank you for bringing the thought processes and culture of eastern Europe to our consciousness. I admire these thoughtful young people at the the same time that I am horrified by some of their assessments.
Why do young people in Hungary seem to find a moral equivalence between the US and Russia? Surely America has substantial flaws, but Russia is surely an order of magnitude(or more) worse. Why is it that these intelligent college students don't seem to comprehend quantitative moral differences?
With regard to China, these students seem to have much more clarity than American people of any age as to the moral and political abhorrence of this totalitarian state (PRC)? What is going on in America and Hungary that accounts for this discrepancy of insight?
There are obviously blind spots in American's assessments and Hungarian's assessments of political reality. How do we understand this situation?
Regarding Marijuana legalization - I was disappointed that neither participant brought up the most important consideration. Not whether weed was bad or not, but is law enforcement the best response. Even if you think weed is bad, the laws required to enforce a ban would likely create a worse overall environment. From a Libertarian's prospective, this is the REAL issue.