Irrespective of media, one now consumes a near-constant diet of articles about "toxic masculinity." It seems to have become something of an obsession. Indeed, the most vociferous voices seem to have a pretty big problem with masculinity in general. And, unfortunately, many such voices have found their way into the halls of academia. From pre-schools to universities, there is a Utopian social engineering experiment underway. An effort to make society "genderless," or perhaps more accurately, to make it generderless ... in a female-kind-of-way. Boys are being programmed to suppress their biological natures and ... behave like girls. Indeed, many question whether there is such a thing as a biological nature at all.
It is far more pervasive than most people think. Teachers no longer tell children to, "Form two lines, girls on one side, boys on the other." Games and activities are limited to those that preclude boys from employing their natural advantages in size, speed and strength. Competitiveness is seen as unhealthy and often sanctioned. No winners or losers. High energy is a deficit of attention. Self-assertion is defiant misbehavior. The "female way of doing things" - cooperative, well-behaved and emotionally-available, has become the filter through which boys must pass.
But all this social engineering in pursuit of a Utopian ideal, not of equality but of sameness, ignores the overwhelming biological evidence (to say nothing of the evidence of your eyes) that maleness and femaleness, at any age, is not the same. Boys and girls, men and women are simply wired differently. There are 100+ physiological differences between the male and female brain. Indeed, researchers can look at brain imaging and tell, with 93% accuracy, whether the brain is male or female. No blood or hormone tests required, just images. And yet, social activists dismiss such disparities as being "insignificant." Males and females are the same and any "apparent differences" are the result of "social construction." (Keep in mind that the difference between human and chimpanzee DNA is only 1.5% so ... an "insignificant amount" can go a long way.)
Anyone who follows my posts knows I don't care for ideologues. And, it doesn't matter which kind. Ideologues view the world through a lens that transforms everything into "right or wrong," "for or against" ... "friend or foe." They obsess about a handful of "sacred axioms," and make "talking point" assertions about the nature of reality, none of which are allowed to be subjected to peer review. There's no room for nuance. No acknowledgement that some problems are complicated and therefore not amenable to simple solutions.
I am a political and philosophical Centrist. The moral philosophy I most associate with is Aristotle's, "Virtue Ethics," which, in a nutshell, states that "Virtue" is to be found between two extremes of "Vice." Most people, whether they're familiar with Virtue Ethics or not, tend to agree in principle. But not the ideologues. People in the middle are "aiders and abettors." By listening to both sides of an argument, they give a "platform for the expression of evil." By asking for evidence to support an assertion, as logical people are inclined to do, they detract from the "ineffable nature of the Truth."
They're right ... and you just have to accept it. And, if you don't, you become subject to approbation and assertions of moral turpitude: With respect to feminist activists, you're a "sexist; misogynist; or rape-culture apologist." No amount of hyperbole or bombast is off the table.
It's hard to imagine an aspect of humanity more fundamental to the functioning of society than the relationship between men and women. For hundreds of millions of years, just about every animal on Earth has been genetically programmed to reproduce via male-female coupling. And, all throughout the animal kingdom, we see vast differences in both male-female appearance, and behavior. Male peacocks, with their notoriously colorful plumage, pompously strut their stuff to impress an onlooking female. Male bighorn sheep smash their heads together in a way that, apparently, impresses the girls. It all seems a bit silly. And yet, there it is. For whatever reason, Nature thought these were good ideas and built them into the blueprints.
Anyone whose daughter has ever made them sit through countless hours of "America's Funniest Videos" will have noticed a similar pattern amongst humans. The only time a woman appears in such videos is when her newly-wed husband talks her into getting up on a table in her wedding dress, or, she's involved in an actual mishap that gets caught on tape. With guys, it's almost always some stupid pre-meditated stunt (in front of an audience) that, amazingly, doesn't result in death or paralysis.
But there are two sides to every coin. It is that same dare-devilry and dismissal of risk that drives the exploration of the unknown, inspires invention and fuels the entrepreneurial spirit. It is the same assertiveness and aggression that causes playground brawls that drives males to protect women and children, even at the expense of their lives.
"We don't need male protectors."
Go to any war-zone on Earth and find a single woman who shares such sentiment. I've been there, there aren't any. It is only the insularity of ideology that can account for such naivete. In the entire history of the species, there is no known example of women providing for the defense of the community.
"We don't need to 'defend the community' anymore. Humanity has progressed."
The gas chambers of Nazi Germany and the Gulags of Soviet Russia occurred in the lifetimes of our parents and grandparents. More modern examples of the thin veneer of civilization can been seen on nightly newscasts almost daily. Humanity has not progressed one iota.
While social engineering activists say they "don't hate men" ... they do seem Hell-bent on emasculating them. To neuter the negatives. The arrogance and hubris required to believe that one possesses the insight to tease apart the good from the bad of human instinct and intuition, is mind-boggling. The Silent Majority needs to find its voice. And, I suspect, the ones who ought to be the most vocal are the women: While geldings are better behaved than stallions, they make notoriously poor paramours.
We Don't Hate Men
As a bonus, I thought I would share a story (lightly edited) I recently recounted in another poster's comments section, to demonstrate the sheer magnitude of the insanity. This is what happens when ideologues become unhinged:
I once attended a poetry group reading and was asked by the organizer to give a 30-minute lecture on the neuroscience underlying poetic verse (I've explained the phenomenon in numerous posts). As part of my lecture, I used one of my poems as an example.
Of the two dozen people in the room (three-quarters of whom were women), everybody thought the poem was brilliant ... except one. And she ... was furious. As you can imagine, she was a strident feminist. She thought my poem was a "tour de force" of male patriarchy. As evidence of her assertion, she proffered lines from my poem such as:
"Shakespeare knew and so do you"
- Using the opinion of a straight white male to infer what everyone else should think.
Who held the longest sword
- Swords are associated with male power and dominance ... male metaphors = the patriarchy.
... The Big Men play their game,
- Nevermind that it was a criticism of "Big Men," it was still more male domination.
War brought to you, what would you do,
For you, your wife, your child,
- More military metaphors (male) and clearly the poem is addressed to a male ("... your wife"). But the worst of all:
The Laws of Man do not war ban,
They make a fight more fair,
Two swords same length, Two swords same strength,
Of the Law ... Big Man beware.
How come you didn't use the "Laws of Humanity"!?!?
Uh ... nothing useful rhymes with humanity. It has too many syllables and the wrong rhythm. And ... it doesn't sound poetic. Man, capitalized in such context, is a stand-in for Mankind which is a stand-in for Humanity. It's been that way since English was invented, and I'm not changing it because feminists think it privileges men. "Monsieur," in French, has exactly the same meaning as does "Mister" in English. But, "Mon" + "Sieur" means, "My Lord. Should we change that too?
"PATRIARCHY!!!
- And, imagine a poet channeling Shakespeare. Oh, the affront.
"Why didn't you use Emily Dickenson?"
"Because no one in their right mind thinks Emily Dickenson was even in the same league as William Shakespeare."*
"Well, then, which woman poet do you think was in the same league as Shakespeare?"
"No one. Not a single one in all of human history ever came close."
- Of course, no male poet did either. Not in any language in any time frame. Shakespeare is singular in all of human history. He has no peer.
PATRIARCHY!!!"
- Here's the offending poem if you're interested:
*****
What was not mentioned in the aforementioned story was that the woman doing the haranguing ... was a teacher. This is the kind of indoctrination to which, at least some, of our children are being routinely subjected. No classic of literature, whether Shakespeare or Mark Twain, is now safe from the censoring sensibilities of those with the most extreme opinions ... and a willingness to use the shrillest voice to express them.
Thankfully, it's not all teachers. As you can see in the post that precedes this one, I'm a big defender of the profession. Nevertheless, as the Far Left post-modern doctrine spreads, more and more children become exposed. And good luck if you're child is a straight white male.
In fairness, there was a silver-lining regarding this incident: The other women in the room ... went ballistic. Common sense, it would seem, is not yet completely dead. It's just so seldomly heard.
Quill.
In for a penny, in for a pound. Here are a couple of other lion-themed poems that firmly establish my male patriarchal credentials:
A nice Father's Day toast:
And here's one I had my daughter send to her newly acquired boyfriend (incidentally, she loves it):
Interesting perspective here :-) strangely not the type of post I tend to read but you got me hooked.
Consider yourself followed by little old me.
@nilo3d,
Glad to have you.
Quill
Wow, okay this may take me some time to digest but it is indeed a very interesting view! I guess I may have to read it many times but I love the poems a lot and the last that your daughter sent to the boyfriend, it made me chuckled a bit. hahaha! :)
#steemitbloggers
@happycrazycon,
You have no idea how much pleasure I got from writing that poem. :-)
You know, it's funny. The people who like that poem the most: My daughter and her girlfriends. About a half-dozen have t-shirts on which the poem and graphics are printed.
About a year ago, I was razzing the girls about boys. Teasing them about guys asking them out. They fell silent, "Guys don't do that anymore. Only the [insert pejorative] do." The comment was said with such sincerity ... and poignant frustration ... that it took me aback.
Romance is a dance, and the boys seem to have forgotten their moves ... or, they've been terrified into not making them. As a father of a pretty daughter, I suppose I ought to be happy. Surprisingly, I'm not.
I suggested, given modern ethos being what they are, that they, the girls, could ask out the guys. Not one thought that was a good idea (to say the least). There's a way that dating is supposed to happen. "The guys are the gas pedal ... the girls are the brakes. The guys aggress, we defend."
I almost fell off my chair. "What happened to feminism?"
I read about a study several months ago (I can't remember where but you could undoubtedly find it on Google) that stated that the Post-Millenial generation (Gen Z), is the most conservative generation since World War II. How do you like them beans?
In my own experience, the girls especially, seem to be rejecting the 'feminist' mantra. Yes, they want equality for women (which they feel they have) ... but enough with the whole "there's no difference between men and women" stuff. They want the guys to be guys, and they want the girls to be girls. They have no problem with the idea of common sense 'gender roles' and they love the idea of chivalry ... guys opening doors and, get this ... guys asking a girl's father permission to take her out on a date (I suspect that that last one presumed that the father would always say yes).
Things are rarely as simple as we'd like them to be.
Quill
I feel like this might not be a "return to how it used to be" so much as a result of the increasing acceptance of transgenderism. If you are free to change your gender to suit your personality, then suddenly the traditional confining roles are OK again.
Absolutely fantastic post. Thanks. People in the middle referred to as "aiders and abettors". Such truth. I found you through the #payitforward contest. You were featured by @bengy. Congratulations and best wishes.
@energyaddict22,
Thanks for the boost.
You'd be surprised how controversial being "moderate" is in some quarters. You're either with us or against us. Moderation is equivocation and there can be none of that.
Quill
This was a very fascinating read. I’ve done a fair amount of reading on this topic and the most interesting thing I have read is the double standard that society applies to girls and boys while claiming that gender roles are equal and one is not “better” than the other. The example used was the young girl who has boyish tendencies: she is encouraged for her strength, praised for her leadership, and pushed to pursue this identity. On the other hand, the young boy who has more feminine tendencies (soft-spoken, kind, gentle) is generally shamed if not outright mocked, while being actively encouraged to be more assertive and less timid.
I guess where I fall on the idea (today at least, my views on this are constantly shifting) is that there are undeniable differences between the genders and to deny they exist is folly. However, there are exceptions to the stereotypical male and female mold on both sides: gentle, emotional, caretaker men and bold, aggressive, leading women. I think people should be encouraged to be themselves, regardless of whether it aligns with traditional roles. But this concept can be taken way too far, and I agree there are baseline expectations of a man (physically defend his family and country, for example). I like your active rejection of ideology a lot - I will have to try and adopt that myself.
#steemitbloggers
So many many things in this post worthy of discussion! I'm with you on the paradox of men in the military and their reputation for reckless behavior. Top Guns and sexual harassment is one news item that comes to mind when you point out the obvious (yet it eludes a certain kind of moral majority, and I don't mean the 1980s church version):
It is that same dare-devilry and dismissal of risk that drives the exploration of the unknown, inspires invention and fuels the entrepreneurial spirit. It is the same assertiveness and aggression that causes playground brawls that drives males to protect women and children, even at the expense of their lives.
Do you write fiction...? If not, do you want to co-author some? :)
@carolkean,
I'm toying with the idea. If I thought I could get through to a publisher, I've got about a half-dozen novels in my head. As you learn on Steemit though, it is damnably difficult to get the attention of "curators" in the first place. Curie has never even glanced at me. Steemit is but a microcosm of the real world. The Gatekeepers do not gladly permit entry.
Here's a bit in novel form:
https://steemit.com/writing/@quillfire/exquisite-corpse-a-perfect-day-for-a-murder-chapter-6
Quill
Guy humor! Dave Barry nails it (and so do you).
With guys, it's almost always some stupid pre-meditated stunt (in front of an audience) that, amazingly, doesn't result in death or paralysis.
Which reminds me of The Darwin Awards...
Lions rule!
Um, Quill on Fire, did you intuit I am lion obsessed?
And only last week I made fun of such concepts as "toxic" masculinity in one of my 5-minute Freewrites, which ended with the man dumping his toxic girlfriend and reclaiming his manhood (so to speak) (and his collection of Budweiser steins, which she would have him dispose of).
"Even-Steven" - Day 348 : 5 Minute Freewrite: Prompt: vinyl
So, if you're in a Discord channel somewhere, I might have to get with the program and return to Discord. You're too much fun. Um, I guess that means if you're active at Discord, I should stay away, or I'll never get much done (besides have fun!).
@carolkean,
I'm part of a dozen or so Discord Channels. Active ... I basically just post-promote. By the time I'm finished writing articles, comments and replies ... I'm "worded out."
I'll take a look at your freewrite.
Quill
Romance is a dance, and the boys seem to have forgotten their moves ... or, they've been terrified into not making them.
Sad.
I mean, I endured my share of sexual harassment in those horrible h.s. years as a teenager in the 1970s... but I was one of five daughters, no brothers, alas, poor Dad, and to this day, I tend to prefer the company of men and talk of greasy engines, corn futures, and power tools, but talk of pedicures and hair salons and shopping, ugh, ugh, or worse yet, put me in a shopping mall.... now that's toxic!
You are a chance taker love it! Steem on and speak your mind.
#steemitbloggers
@rebeccabe,
So are people who jump out of planes without a parachute. :-)
Poets hyperbolize. Hyperbole is the essence of art. Art is inspirational.
But life is not poetry, it's prose. When we lose the ability to distinguish one (fantasy) from the other (reality) ... that's when the problems arise. And, it's why Plato counseled banning all the poets from ancient Athens. :-)
Here's what I'm trying to encourage in my Machiavellian way:
From Wikipedia:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reality_testing
It is a sign of our times when such ambition is considered "chance-taking."
Thanks for the support.
Quill
@quillfire Well, you can certainly hold your own.
Ambition. I did not see that coming ...lol
For clarification, I was referring to speaking your mind not ambition. Those two for me do not equate.
It is your post so congrats on speaking your mind ambition or not. :)
Remember to dance and have fun too. Life is a dance.
#steemitbloggers
@rebeccabe,
"Ambition" ... to get people to "reality-test" ... to subject their ideas and beliefs to peer review so as to distinguish facts from fancy. As human beings, we all have a huge problem with cognitive biases. This was Plato's great insight about setting up the Academy ... that "surviving the crucible of dissenting minds" yielded better ideas. Poor bugger, though ... Aristotle just had to be one of his students, and he redefined the word dissent.
That is an excellent piece of advice, and one I am apt to forget. Feel free to remind.
Quill
Reality testing
Reality testing is the psychotherapeutic function by which the objective or real world and one's relationship to it are reflected on and evaluated by the observer. This process of distinguishing the internal world of thoughts and feelings from the external world is a technique commonly used in psychoanalysis and behavior therapy, and was originally devised by Sigmund Freud.
Breaking it down like that, I can see your point very clearly @quillfire
@kaerpediem,
Thanks. Of course, it's just my point of view. I have no problem with listening to other points of view that contradict my own. Indeed, I think it would be healthy for society if a lot more people started expressing theirs. Small, but extremely vocal, groups have hijacked the megaphone and hence dominate the conversation.
Quill
This post is sponsored by @SteemitBloggers
@appreciator,
Thanks guys, it's greatly ... appreciated. :-)
Quill
Poetsunited - DISCORD - @poetsunited - witness upvote@hash-tag upvoted this post via @poetsunit!!
@poetsunit,
Thanks guys. Always glad to see that logo.
Quill
Quill, your brilliance outshines your delusions, which is quite rare and completely arse-backwards. A great defense of the testosterone-mongering club of hairy legs, as opposed to the estrogen-vomiting club of hairy legs and armpits. We need more voices of reason, and more reasonable voices. Stand tall, but take some time to kiss the lovelies before you verbally punch them. ;-)
#steemitbloggers
@blockurator,
Said like a warrior-poet.
Mais non, mon Capitaine. Jamais.
I am the last of the Romantics and have great reverence for the fairer sex. My beef isn't with women. My beef is with ideologues, irrespective of the package in which they come. Biology creates realities that people don't like, but realities are just that ... real.
You got a taste of what happens when rhetoric overcomes reason. Words are extremely powerful things. They can inspire to greatness, and wickedness, in equal measure. People ought to yield them carefully. I call out those that do not.
Quill
Amen, brother. I say in jest. In jest. :-)
@blockurator,
Admit it ... you were just out fishing for the Mon Capitaine thing, weren't you? Bloody officers.
Quill :-)
You know us officers. Always fishing. :-)
Yes, not all women are like that. Perhaps you are right though, most women (particularly the ones who don't share the same view as female activists) actually just remain silent. On a poet's standpoint, your poem is brilliant and true. And you're right, humanity has too many syllables, and your style for that poem obviously would be hindered by it. Totally nothing wrong with the Man part.
@kdee916,
Thanks for your kind words. You are the kind of audience member of which poets dream. Of course, we tend to dream about having an audience at all, so ... :-)
The guys will probably shoot me for this, but women need to become more vocal. Not the activists ... all the rest. The idea that any "male activist group" would have the temerity to assert that they "speak on behalf of men" is unimaginable. Individual men would never surrender their power in such a systematic and over-arching manner. Why are "female activist groups" not similarly restrained ... by other women?
As a rule, I get along extremely well with women of all ages. I like femaleness. And, my observation in life is that the overwhelming majority of females really like maleness. Indeed, they often prefer it. Don't get me wrong: There's a lot of eye-rolling on all sides. "Why are you crying ... it's a dog-food commercial?" You have to admit ... female waterworks can be perplexing. Similarly, I suppose, women might wonder why guys feel the need to continuously insult other males with whom they are friends - especially given that everyone knows the insults aren't real.
Eye-rolling.
Our brains are wired to crave both certainty and novelty. So, like a Venn Diagram, there has to be a huge overlap that yields a commonality of interests (birds of a feather flock together), and hence, predictability and certainty. If there wasn't, relationships couldn't cohere. But there also has to be some differences (opposites attract) to create novelty lest we become bored with one another, like we are, most of the time, with ourselves.
And, it is those differences between men and women that are forever destined to create the three F's: Frustration, Fascination and ... well you know.
The system isn't nearly as broken as the activists claim. For the most part (and we already know how to deal with the exceptions) men are not monsters and women are not witches. We're letting extremists wind us up and create tensions where none ought to exist.
Quill
This post was spotted by @theluvbug and has received a 100% upvote and a resteem. If you would like to possibly receive future support from @theluvbug then please make use of the #theluvbug tag.
I AM
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@theluvbug,
Thanks for the upvote and resteem. Greatly appreciated.
Quill
Dang, am I ever slow.
And oops, I upvoted a 2-month-old comment.
This is indeed a great post. The lions, the discussions, the civility... I'm happily amazed to find it anywhere these days, and happy it's actually here at Steemit.#theluvbug has been around for 2 months?
@carolkean,
I am fortunate to have so many brilliant commenters. Indeed, I often think that my comment sections are more interesting than the posts themselves. Personally, I think this kind of interaction is an exemplar of "what Steemit could be:" Intelligent discourse; often humorous exchange; and, no screaming or name-calling even when people disagree.
Everyday, I am genuinely excited to check my comments. There are almost always some gems awaiting. Smart people making smart people, smarter.
Quill
Commenters are the best - especially Smart people making smart people[,] smarter. {Kill the comma please} :) If your posts attract intelligent comments, and no trolls and rabble rousers, you are setting the bar for everyone else. Write on!
@carolkean,
I am a poet. One of the most potent tricks one learns writing poetry is to "control the pause." Pause is as important as words. Punctuation creates pause.
As a result, when I write prose, some of the poetry sneaks in (on purpose). This does, at times, create a conflict with conventional rules of grammar.
Nevertheless, I highly appreciate the grammatical feedback. The challenge is to balance the two: proper grammar with achieving maximum effect. What I strive for is to only make grammatical mistakes that won't be noticed by 99% of the population. Of course ... there's always "the you's" ... but, I have to favor the majority of my audience. Most people don't know, or care, that you're not supposed to finish a sentence with a preposition.
We all have our price. :-)
Quill
@quillfire......You deserve a $30 upvote. What an perspective! I am surprised to see the size of your comments. You have such a wonderful way with words. Truly appreciating your work, mate.
@hash-tag,
I like the way you think. Feel free to be verbose in articulating your opinions. :-)
Everybody says that to draw an audience, you have to be extreme. That no one wants to listen to a moderate "voice of reason." To quote PT Barnum, "If you want to draw a crowd, start a fight."
Most people are reasonably reasonable. Unfortunately, most people are also reasonably silent. As a result, the only thing we ever hear are the voices of the most extreme, winding things up and tearing things down. After a while, it can be tempting to believe that we are alone in our reasonableness and the whole world has gone mad.
As you can see from the comments section, though, most people are not Far X or Far Y and, if given the chance, have something reasonable to say.
Quill
This post was shared in the Curation Collective Discord community for curators, and upvoted and resteemed by the @c-squared community account after manual review.
@c-squared,
Thanks for the curation (and upvote and resteem). Curation is supposed to be the way the blockchain works. We need a lot more folks doing what you do ... and a lot more whales to support you. Keep up the good work.
Quill
Loved the post @quillfire ! upped and resteemed!👍👍👍
@karenmckersie,
Thanks Karen.
OK ... so I'm going to ask. Do you have a software program that makes all these various girl-graphics?
If so, say yes, to satiate my curiosity. But, whatever you do ... DON'T tell me what it is. My posts already take so bloody long to create that the last thing I need is something else to add. :-)
GOL'ing (Guffawing Out Loud).
Quill :-)
lol! i can only explain it by telling you what it is , hahaha! all my cattoons are created by the bitmoji app , all you need to do is create your likeness first in the app then the app does everything else , at https://www.bitmoji.com/ you even get a little icon in the top right of your screen making it very easy to choose your bitmoji and add to whatever you want! lots of fun! 😂😂😂👍
@karenmckersie,
I WILL NOT be checking it out.
Quill
Lol ok , at least you know what it is now hahah!😂
Working TitleDiscord!This post has been selected for curation by @msp-curation by @sunravelme. It has been upvoted and will be featured in this week's post. It will also be considered for the official @minnowsupport curation post and if selected will be resteemed from the main account. Feel free to join us on
(BTW, clever username)@msp-curation & @sunravelme
Thanks for the support. And, I will definitely accept the invitation to join your group.
Update: I tried to join the Discord group but got an "Invalid Invite." Timed-out perhaps? Could I trouble whomever for another? Thanks.
Quill
thing to have non-gendered rest rooms in school so as not to put undue pressure on those kids who have yet decided on their preferred gender. Geez, I wish that was a joke.I couldn't agree more @quillfire! I watched the pendulum swing over the years to the ridiculous state it's at now; I guess you could have included the new
I actually found your post through steemitbloggers, but also from bengy who featured you in his entry to the Pay it Forward contest where I'm one of the judges. Feel free to join us next week with an entry of your own if you're interested.
Always a pleasure to find a nice post by you Quillfire! You make a very nice philosophical case in point here:
The laws of the very universe state that everything is gendered, everything has polarity. It sometimes seems to me that we are past postmodernism and into dadaism or some sort of surrealist reality where the supposedly science based culture wants to reject even the basic building blocks of biology.
Source
@ecoinstant,
Alex, I'm laughing my ass off. You might be on to something.
Wikipedia:
Hmmm ... sound familiar?
No matter how ridiculous it gets, it gets more ridiculous.
In another shattering of the bounds of incredulity, I find myself being defensive when reporting that I, for one, do not believe that "otherkin" is a gender. In case you're not familiar, some people self-identify as being cats or wolves ... or werewolves ... or unicorns. And, if you don't want to be labelled a Neo-Nazi, you had bloody well better accept their Truths and use their pronouns.
But, as I've repeatedly explained to you, "No, Alex ... you are not a centaur, and I refuse to just say, "giddy up" and address you as Trigger." :-) So stop asking.
Quill :-)
I think I am on to something! Thanks for pulling out that wikipedia definition, my brain made that connection all by itself, I guess art history class in college really did teach me something!
I try to remember the Corinthians 13 verse that says, 'Love is patient, love is kind ... It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.
We can only patiently remind people that this is the way that it is, perhaps by writing really compelling poetry about the subject! ;p
@ecoinstant,
Alex, you're a moral philosopher with a great sense of humor. A rare combination. And a pleasurable one to to encounter.
You are right, of course. Patience is a virtue (and, admittedly, not one of my strongest suits). What's frustrating is that human beings, in the aggregate, seem to have zero ability to learn from history. They hear the stories ... but fail to extract the meaning.
How many poems can one poet write?
The cognitive biases that plague us all is nothing new, but the consequences of being wrong are now orders of magnitude higher than in earlier generations. The Enlightenment was supposed to have fixed this ... we'd subject our ideas to the crucible of critical review and only the best (and most likely to be correct) would survive. But we are backsliding.
To Hell with logic, reason and rationale. To Hell with empirical evidence, provable facts and the evidence of your eyes ... "I feel that it's the Truth ... based upon my metaphysical insights. Now let's pass some laws."
Our species has tripped ass-backwards into the technological ability to cause ourselves, and the planet more generally, such enormous grief that we've become a Force of Nature on parallel with asteroids and super-volcanoes. But we are gods with neither wisdom ... nor the inclination to be wise. In our never-ending quest for freedom, we've lost all appreciation for the tempering provided by restraint.
It is cause for pause.
Quill
You are too kind! I suspect that I am, like you, just a guy calling it like he sees it.
It is true that children are resistant to learn the lessons from their parents, intent as they are at proving the lessons themselves. Unfortunately when we apply that at a societal level we get some pretty sad commentary on civilization.
I sometimes think that my superpower is to be agreeably contrarian. I seem to have a way to disagree with people without triggering them. It doesn't always work, some people are especially set in their ways, but I find it to be a pleasurable activity to make people think.
I really enjoy your idea of Centrism. The truth is subtle, and always lies hidden somewhere in the middle ;p
I just clicked through and found your new poem, onward to healthcare!
@ecoinstant,
I agree, people seem to naturally "like you." Even when I point out the whole Rasputin-look-alike thing, they still want to send you chocolates and flowers. :-)
Alas, I possess no such super-power. I can spend a week composing a perfectly well-balanced and masterfully diplomatic treatise on the virtues of taking a vacation and, for some, you'd think Ghangis Khan had just passed through town. Perhaps I need to grow a beard.
What I've found is that ideologues HATE when issues are reduced to matters of reason. Logic, rationale, providing evidence to support one's assertions ... this kind of reductionist attitude destroys the ineffable and emergent nature of their Truths. They have a method of arriving at their understandings (they love the word "metaphysics") that is not compatible with the norms of "critical thinking." And, I'm a S.O.B. for articulating the obvious.
If I had a wish for the world, it would be to make the Silent Majority less silent. The most vociferous 10% of the population is forcing/coercing the remaining 90% into self-censoring submission. The suppression of cognitive dissonance, the DoubleThink of 1984, combined with the willful blindness of The Emporer's New Clothes.
I stole it straight from Aristotle and am honored to be such a thief.
Quill
Oh my I have had this fantastic comment open in a tab for 7 days now!
You are such a poetic Ghangis Khan! I find you perfectly palatable but I have observed what you said, I call it 'the bristling'!
I don't know exactly how I do it or where I learned it, but often I find a way to say differently the opposing view. The beard may help, I like to think it is more of a Santa Claus vibe than Rasputin, although if you remember your history, Rasputin was an extremely charismatic counselor that so ingrained himself into the politics of the day that he had to be poisoned, beat to death, rolled up in a carpet and drowned to even begin to extricate his influence!
Re:
I believe we are on the cusp of a new age of enlightenment, but we need to keep shaking the bed or many will sleep right through!
Love and Light!
@ecoinstant,
I agree, people seem to naturally "like you." Even when I point out the whole Rasputin-look-alike thing, they still want to send you chocolates and flowers. :-)
Alas, I possess no such super-power. I can spend a week composing a perfectly well-balanced and masterfully diplomatic treatise on the virtues of taking a vacation and, for some, you'd think Ghangis Khan had just passed through town. Perhaps I need to grow a beard.
What I've found is that ideologues HATE when issues are reduced to matters of reason. Logic, rationale, providing evidence to support one's assertions ... this kind of reductionist attitude destroys the ineffable and emergent nature of their Truths. They have a method of arriving at their understandings (they love the word "metaphysics") that is not compatible with the norms of "critical thinking." And, I'm a S.O.B. for articulating the obvious.
If I had a wish for the world, it would be to make the Silent Majority less silent. The most vociferous 10% of the population is forcing/coercing the remaining 90% into self-censoring submission. The suppression of cognitive dissonance, the DoubleThink of 1984, combined with the willful blindness of The Emporer's New Clothes.
I stole it straight from Aristotle and am honored to be such a thief.
Quill