Utter Depravity

We are taught that humanity is intrinsically good, that the evil deeds people are prone to commit is a direct result of external circumstances. I'm sure external circumstances contribute to some of the worst atrocities the world will ever see. But I cannot agree that people are inherently good. All evidence points to the contrary, and we look towards blaming other things to remove the guilt from our conscience.

For instance, take a look at this article from the New York Times. There is an epidemic that is hitting the population of Congo. The rate of incidents of women being raped is escalating at an extraordinary pace. A group called the Rastas are "notorious for burning babies, kidnapping women and literally chopping up anybody who gets in their way." I wonder how many sociologists, anthropologists, and others would say that this is a product of culture, war, poverty, etc. I venture to guess that the majority of them would. And that is the sad thing. We have become too intellectually "superior" to admit our own depravity and justify the horrific, inhumane activities of mankind.

What good is a government that cannot protect its own citizens? The Congolese armed forces deserve to be put on trial for crimes against humanity and its participation in systematically terrorizing and raping women. No citizens should fear for their own safety by those that have been called to protect and serve the country. It is a sad story that these kinds of widespread stories are not received by outrage by the international community. Somewhere between the news of Brittany Spears losing custody of her children and Pamela Anderson's wedding in Las Vegas, real newsworthy stories are lost. How sad humanity is.