Why do we accept people with mental disabilities but not those with moral "disabilities"?

Question

If one was to blame a disabled person for his disability, he would be considered cruel and unreasonable in most circles. Yet we don't have any problem with people blaming someone for being bad who we ca;; "a bad egg", which, since it assumes they were that way from birth, is basically the same as saying they have a "moral disability".

Do people with "moral disabilities" really have a choice? I mean, people with mental disabilities have the ability to choose/refuse help, unless it's really bad. Might people who are immoral be so deep in immorality that they cannot recognize their need for help/change?
I realize I might majorly offend people with mental disabilities. I am very sorry for this. I have utmost respect for these people. It is an unfortunate problem with the phrasing of the question.
Yes, it is also a question of, if we call someone a bad egg, we might be excusing their behavior.
And no, I have never been accused of immorality. I'm actually really concious about my actions, more then many people around me. I have a very strong personal moral center. It's just a question about how it applies to others.

This question was also somewhat of a criticism of the term "bad egg". And also I'd like to pose the question: why is it that moral acts are considered "choices", while other behaviors you learn in childhood aren't? I realize now I should not have used the term "moral disability", since part of the question should have been whether "moral disabilities" exist.
Once again I would like to apologise to those with/who know those with mental disabilities. I didn't think it through as much as I should have.

Answer 1

Moral disabilities almost always come with a troubled early childhood environment and/or mental disorders. If you are raised in a safe loving environment and there is no history of mental disorder in either of your parents' families then you are likely to live a happy productive life.

It's a lot easier for people to say "that guy is a bad apple" then ask "I wonder why that person is hurting so much"? Usually people hurt other people only when they are hurting themselves, sometimes for reasons they do not understand. If we all had a little more empathy and understood that each person has had their own experiences in life that shaped him/her the world would be a better place. Of course, there is an implied obligation to accept the consequences for one's behaviour beyond a certain age. There are some people so impaired that they cannot see their own behaviour. Maybe these people should be given the benefit of the doubt, however it is difficult to distinguish between those who are in pain and those who continue to pursue a bad path.

Answer 2

Acutally, a moral disability is also a mental disability. Anti-Soical Personality disorder is a mental disorder as real as depression or schizophrenia. There are actually regions of the brain that are dysfucntional and show up on f(MRI) scans as inactive. Lower levels of certain neurotransmitters also shows up . The areas of the brain responsible for impulse control are often abnormal on people with criminal histories and anti-social personality disorder. A person with this disorder is unable to comprehend the concept of compassion, guilt, and regret.

The best question to ask a person is "Would you go on a killing spree and slash people into little bits without remorse? The answer would usually be no. Most people are normal and don't have these 'mental disabilites' therefore wouldn't do it. It isn't a matter simply of choice, if it were, than wouldn't you be able to chose to do it too? Why don't you? You have free will right? Obviously it isn't so simple.

Children with autism can't comprehend the emotions of others. THey are unable to connect and understand even their parents. TI is a horrible thing, but it happens. IF the person can't change or develop into a normal human being, then they should be taken out of the society. I do not believe they should be tormented or killed any more than a mentally retarted person should be because they killed someone. The sooner we accept and understand these things, the sooner we can find a solution to them. Hating and blaming won't do any good.

Answer 3

it isn't the same at all. people with mental disabilities have a genetic defect that doesn't allow them to mature beyond a certain age. a person with a moral disability isn't bad because of a genetic defect, their dysfunction comes from either not receiving the proper training during their formative years or ignoring the training they received. if you are referring to sociopaths, psychopaths and others who could be considered to have a moral disability, that is caused by a mental malfunction, and no they cannot help the fact that their brain malfunctioned, however, they can help themselves by remaining on their medications. So you see, people with certain mental disabilities cannot help it, they reach a certain age mentally, be it 2, 3, or 12 and they never progress any further. People with what you call moral disabilities, have a choice, whether they are taught at home or not, they can learn morals. And the ones with treatable medical conditions who choose to go off their meds, well that is their choice, but the fact remains, unmedicated their illness take over their lives and in many cases has a horrible outcome, not only for themselves, but for their victims as well.

Answer 4

I'm a bit slow sometimes, so it took me a moment to consider what you might mean, and so let me try to see if I got it right:

You're saying we call some people bad eggs and that excuses them from having to do good coz they've got a "moral disability?"

I disagree with that. Only some people may do that, but even those with mental and learning disabilities are expected to do right when they know how to. People call a wrong doer a bad egg when they're used to someone behaving wrong and they don't know what else to say; they're tired of it and can't deal with it.

And...quite a few people still don't accept anyone with disabilities of any kind... but they are forgiving, which may be another reason for calling someone a bad egg. They don't think the person can help it, they don't want to invest the time helping them, so they call them a bad egg and are forgiving.

Answer 5

When you have a full mental capacity, you know right from wrong, and thus responsible for all your actions.

Calling someone a "bad egg" is just an expression. All children are born innocent and don't know right from wrong. They are taught by parents, peers, teachers, television and so on.
It is not a moral "disability". Someone somewhere failed to instill good moral values in that kid.

Answer 6

You must have been accused of being morally disabled? Otherwise you wouldn't have asked this question.

People with mental disabilities can't help themselves. It's not just a matter of behavior but of ability and potential. Generally, no amount of therapy can change their abilities.

Someone who's a bad egg or whose behavior is unacceptable can change overall...they choose to act the way they do for selfish reasons.

They just need to grow up.

Answer 7

It's not fair to even compare people with mental disabilities to those who are what you term "morally disabled. People who are disabled mentally are precisely that, they don't have the capacity to discern what is right from wrong. Whereas, a person without morals can get to decide for himself or herself. It so happened that they make the wrong decisions.

Answer 8

Anyone can change their ways. The question is, what will give someone the impetus to do so?

No matter what environment you grew up in or who you chose to emulate there has to be some kind of catalyst for change.

No one is morally "disabled" just morally ignorant, and ignorance can be taught.

Answer 9

With the exception of severe sociopathic traits, people can elect to change, no matter what's happened to them in their lives. I mean, there's the case of John Nash, a brilliant mathematician, who developed schizophrenia, and deteriorated for some years. But he finally learned that what was going on in his head (the people telling him this, that, and the next thing, weren't real). From that point on he started to recover. So, motivation plays a big part, and the willingness to face one's fears. A lot of people can't overcome their demons, because their fear stops them. They also want to avoid any pain associated with recovery. So, yes, you're right, we need to accept that people have problems over which they elect not to take any control, which makes them sick.

Answer 10

Because our belief system has taught us that people who do evil things are consciously aware but have no empathy or willingness to change because of their own arrogance and self inflated ego. In short they are bad seed or born evil. Others who are disabled are labeled victims of fate etc. It's easier to feel empathy towards those who look victimized.Whereas someone who victimizes you can love to hate. It's hard to feel empathy for a consuming flame or disease.