I left out examples mostly because EM's overly-sensitive school monitoring bit will prevent him from reading my main message, so here are some examples.

Yeah, I had forgotten about that.

Adultry is still very much a no-no in the US, but it is more acceptable in Europe, where in many parts there's been a centuries-long tradition of having open secrets regarding lovers and mistresses.

Be that as it may, it is not indicative of religious fundamentalism, I do not think. I would conjecture that if you asked most atheists whether they felt all right about their spouse cheating on them, they would answer no. And, again, I must point to the particulars of Chomsky's statement: popular culture. In our popular culture, affairs are now fodder for humorous movies and television sitcoms, along with the various "sleep-around" songs, from Alan Jackson to Nelly.

You mention the gay bit, but while it's more tolerant than before, when you go from say a 1 to a 2 on a scale of 10 in acceptiveness, is it really acceptable? Many would just point out the legal discrimination that gays face in all 50 states as an example that undermines your comment.

Legal discrimination is not popular culture. This, and the divorce point (which I will get to) refer to state activities, not those of the popular culture. I'm not sure I agree with your assessment of it being a ten percent increase only, but it would be rather difficult to judge. I suppose I would point out the homosexual television shows, movies, and literature sections in book-stores, all of which constitute the popular culture, not state legislated activities. Further, the cities in my state, at least, have anti-hate crime laws, specifically enacted to stop anti-gay crimes. I do not think I would be incorrect in stating there are probably many other such laws elsewhere.

Other issues would include adoption (extremely picky, and often based on "moral" issues), custody in divorce hearings (even if that isn't directly religious, there are undertones there on the "roles" of a family),

This is odd, as I was just listening to the Old Testament. IT specifically states that men shall rule over women, or some such. In divorce cases (I know, as my parents went through one) the woman often has the upper-hand. The children are usually sent to live with her, she keeps the house, and so on. One would expect it to be the other way around, if we were looking strictly unto Gods' words in the Bible. Further, as I had already pointed out, this is looking at laws and so forth, and not the popular culture.

the disparity in pay between males and females working the same type of job,

You may be surprised to learn (at least, according to some people who you may or may not agree with) how largely this is incorrect. Certain studies have noted that it has much to do with a man's willingness to travel longer distances to work; move further away to acquire a higher paying job in the same field; and to give up a family, in order to be successful. There is a particular book about this, and I'm running a quick search on Amazon.com to find it. I have had no luck, though.


Since the US still seems to be more affected by those traditions than most of its associates in the world, I can see Chomsky's position, even if I don't agree with it completely.

As I think I said in response to EM, I can see his point more clearly when it comes to the state, and not to the culture. I have not misquoted him, though, so I remain unconvinced. As always, thanks for the thoughtful reply, and regards,



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