one thing about the western world, and America especially: we have no cultural memory of what it feels like to have another culture impose their value system upon you.

it's therefore easy to see other cultural views as falling into these categories: odd/silly, needlessly restrictive (possibly also immoral), or downright immoral [1].

that's a mental trap, though, much like believing yourself to live at the center of the universe.

once you remove the "superior culture" argument, it becomes quite hard to formulating a reason to touch this island.

for instance: we have medicine! but we only value it because we fear death, etc.

[1] examples come to mind: some cultures believe using birth control is like murder (silly). some cultures believe a woman should not exposition her shoulders in public (no rights). some cultures believe infanticide is acceptable, others find it natural for men to have romantic relationships with boys (immoral). these are all examples from a western perspective, of course.