[light_cone]

I think you are enamoured with the idea of being neutral, like a pure-wisdom spirit above the melee, wisely noticing the hypocrisy of the west and reminding us the right for any people to live as they see fit.

Well I think this is just your ego flattering yourself.

Because this is such a clumsy false dichotomy that it's frankly hard to accept that people can actually think sincerely what you said.

How can you not see that the ancient way the talibans want to enforce is just another oppressive standard forced on the population, especially women?

What if I am an afghan woman who wants to live based on another perfectly valid ancient way of life, but different than the talibans'? Must I shut up or be killed? Who decides exactly? Whose ancient way is the most legitimate? Could it be perhaps _any_ that does not oppress to death people?

Perhaps people are just saying that anything less oppressive than this horror is what should be? Perhaps that's what people mean when they talk about human rights? And perhaps that reality has NOTHING to do with the west's hypocrisy or any misuse of the term 'human rights' you might encounter?