Agreed!

I have had this debate more than once as well. You cannot say it is 'alright' for someone to be racist or violent because they were a 'product of their time'. How then do you explain that only a small percent of the population 'owned slaves' even at the height of slavery? It was just because people 'couldn't afford it' - it was because there were people opposed to the practice since antiquity. How about 'native civilizations' and cultures that were matriarchal versus so many that were patriarchal? What about incest and rape and murder? Excuses made by 'those in power' do not excuse the attitudes and behaviors, even if they help us to understand them. While it's hard to say 'I'd always think/feel this way' it is equally hard to say 'Oh, they are a product of their time' and have it sit well.

I don't say we condemn everyone and anyone who ever made a mistake or had a biased or ignorant viewpoint - but you cannot 'excuse' them as if it was completely 'ok' either.

...maybe? *>.<* This is a tricky debate sometimes. *sigh*