We are just finding out about a child sex trafficking ring involving politicians and billionaires, the world’s richest man does a Nazi salute at a political rally, and the President being an adjudicated sex criminal is probably not the worst thing he has done…
Meanwhile I’m standing here in the checkout line feeling guilty about whether or not I should tip a barista
Something is wrong with our collective notion of morality, and my individual understanding (Oh well, here we are)
Morality is something a class society continuously reproduces to manage the contradictions it faces on a day to day basis. It’s a fabric that gives you that guilty feeling when you’re not practicing the same self control the rest of society exercises and demands. A lot of control is regulated by law of course, then guilt becomes more than just a feeling. But many things don’t need to be dealt with by the legislature: you comply because you don’t want to be a social outcast.
At the top, it’s a bit different, they don’t need that kind of voluntary self control. Often, this becomes admired by those who see themselves as temporarily embarrassed millionaires.
They do. The same way the Mafia or the Police do. The morality is fealty and service to your liege and your nation. Guilt comes from betrayal and dishonor, which always involves disappointing your betters.
One thing GoT does well is spelling out the perverse attitudes of aristocracy relative to the proles. Even the “noble” characters are awful for one reason or another
gotta admit, I haven’t worked out that part fully yet, but there’s probably multiple layers. What you describe inherent in police and mafia, is a different kind of morality, an honour code, it can be contrary to the general morality, I’d say. And the aristocracy, or people completely beyond the law, they can make it up as they go along.