Rude? That is subjective like morality.
Other people who see it with the humour it was delivered.
Did you REALLY mean it seriously?
I thought you were just throwing our some red meat
Here’s my formal answer
It’s fundamentally subjective because it is deeply rooted in the cultural and historical contingencies that shape human experience. What is considered morally right or wrong is not determined by some absolute, universal standard, but rather by the norms, values, and belief systems that have evolved within particular societies over time. These cultural frameworks are not static—they shift with historical forces such as politics, religion, economics, and social movements. A practice deemed virtuous in one era or society may be condemned in another, revealing how moral systems are constructed through the lens of specific human contexts.
Furthermore, moral judgments are always made by persons—individuals with their own perspectives, backgrounds, and emotional lives. These judges are never detached or neutral observers; they bring their own experiences, biases, and values into every act of moral evaluation. Likewise, the circumstances surrounding each moral act are unique, involving distinct relationships, power dynamics, intentions, and consequences. The person performing the act and those affected by it are shaped by their particular histories and subjectivities, which means the moral significance of any action cannot be fully understood outside of those specific circumstances.
Because of this, morality cannot be reduced to fixed rules that apply uniformly across all situations. Instead, it must be understood as a fluid and interpretive process—an ongoing negotiation between individuals and the cultural-historical matrices they inhabit. Moral meaning arises not from absolutes, but from human engagement with the complexity of lived experience.
Slavery is a clear case. In ancient Greece or early America, owning people was seen as normal—even moral. People found ways to justify it, whether through religion, philosophy, or economics. Now, of course, slavery is almost universally condemned. What changed wasn’t the act itself, but how society understood it.
Pedocide—the killing of children—sounds unimaginable today, but it wasn’t always viewed the same way. In ancient Carthage, for example, child sacrifice was part of religious practice. It was seen as a duty to the gods. Even in war, the deaths of children have sometimes been excused as “collateral damage,” depending on the goals or beliefs of those involved.
Same-sex relationships are another example. For a long time in many cultures, they were considered sinful, criminal, or shameful. Today, in many parts of the world, they’re accepted and protected. The relationships themselves didn’t change—society’s view did.
And then there’s the treatment of women. For centuries, women were seen as less intelligent or less capable than men and were kept out of education, politics, and work. That was once considered just “how things are.” Now, more people recognize that inequality as unjust.
Each of these examples shows how morality shifts depending on the time, place, and people involved.
YOUR TURN.