We the People

I had just found out that the US had been allies with apartheid South Africa, and I was feeling worse than usual about being an American. This Cuban who was there pointed out that this had happened before I was born, and I was in no way responsible. So why was I feeling guilty?

This same question came up in class today, as people talked about all the horrible things "we" had done to Indians. Why do we feel guilt for sins from 8 generations ago?

Guilt is a social phenomena, based on fear of judgement from our peers. There is ample evidence to show this--psychologists know that masked people feel freer to commit crimes, and that if in a scientist in a lab coat asks subjects to deliver a fatal electric shock, they will gladly kill. Historians know that moral standards have risen significantly over time (in medieval Europe torturing cats was a popular form of entertainment.), showing that moral standards (and thus our sense of guilt) derive from society.

So, "we" feel guilty about what "our" ancestors since we know that other nations and ethnic groups also remember, and base their current opinion of us off this.