Quite honestly, if I were in Tony's position just before the beginning of Civil War, I would almost certainly have made the same decisions as him. I don't believe he missed the facist overtones of the SHRA, and I don't believe he's insulated to the extent that he believed the SHRA was the best way forward for the country.
But the problem is that sometimes a black-and-white ethical decision has to be made with regard to long-term consequences. Steve refused to compromise his morals and chose to fight overtly, and I respect that. Tony sacrificed his morals to try and influence the situation covertly, and I respect that too.
I also don't think you can totally divide this into old-fashioned ethics and modern moral relativism. We have many ancient tales of martyrs who refused to deny their faiths, and died still resolute, but equally there are tales of people like Esther and Sheherazade, who put themselves in a precarious position in order to try and influence events for the better.
Did Tony's strategy work? Unless there's a longer term plan in there, probably not. Though I've often wondered if he was angling for a sea-change in both public and legal opinion when he made sure Steve was put on trial in his uniform...
Re: Queseda and Millar make me want to hurl
But the problem is that sometimes a black-and-white ethical decision has to be made with regard to long-term consequences. Steve refused to compromise his morals and chose to fight overtly, and I respect that. Tony sacrificed his morals to try and influence the situation covertly, and I respect that too.
I also don't think you can totally divide this into old-fashioned ethics and modern moral relativism. We have many ancient tales of martyrs who refused to deny their faiths, and died still resolute, but equally there are tales of people like Esther and Sheherazade, who put themselves in a precarious position in order to try and influence events for the better.
Did Tony's strategy work? Unless there's a longer term plan in there, probably not. Though I've often wondered if he was angling for a sea-change in both public and legal opinion when he made sure Steve was put on trial in his uniform...