my calendar says I was overdue for some tl;dr navel-gazing.

[furiosity]

So I was writing this thing about my favourite childhood books for scrtkpr, went off on a tangent, and started waxing poetic about slurs/offensive words and the defence of their use under the "free speech" umbrella. I'm actually not even sure any more how the tangent happened, because one moment, I was sitting there describing the plot and characters of «

Comments

[karaz]

I'm just calling you an asshole for saying offensive shit. Subtle difference. Calling you an asshole in response to your crap is covered under free speech, too.

THIS.

I can subscribe to the idea that we have some sort of hard-wiring that causes us to fear 'the unknown'. It would definitely make sense in a primitive society wherein conformity ensures survival. However, I can't imagine what sort of asshat would champion themselves stuck in a primitive society mindset when 'survival' is no longer a factor.

As you said, nature can only be blamed so far. Curiosity abounds when safety is no longer a pressing concern. Curiosity leads to knowledge which erases the 'unknown' factor. The problem, of course, is that people use this inherent fear to quell curiosity. They use false information to procure fear. "These people mean to harm you/your loved ones!" is always followed by a long list of 'facts' from a trusted source in one's own community. They are using that bit of nature against us by saying: THIS IS ABOUT SURVIVAL. I absolutely

[karaz]

And I totally went off on a tangent. Sorry. >.>

[furiosity]

Hahaha, no worries. Tangents are pretty cool IMO >_>

[furiosity]

I think the whole "fear of the unknown" thing is a stock phrase a lot of people buy into without actually examining what it really means. I think -- and I base this largely on my favoured area of research at university -- it's uncertainty that we fear and try to avoid, because uncertainty is uncomfortable for most humans, and nothing is as uncertain as an unknown quantity. We fear that which we do not know or see because we have no idea what it might mean to our continued existence, and we fear change for the same reason. The unknown doesn't terrify me, for example (I actually find it kind of exciting, though not if it may possibly involve physical pain) but I am certainly very uncomfortable with change; I get angry and defensive when someone attempts to make me change what I do not wish to change, especially if their reason for wishing that change is based on wanting something for themselves (but I don't do well with "this change will be for your own good", either

[karaz]

I'll subscribe to your newsletter ma'am. There seems to be a lot of 40+ middle class white people shouting about surviving and keeping things they way they've always been. I don't think it's any coincidence that President Obama was shouting about change just before that happened. He symbolizes a whole lot of change just being who he is demographically.

*cough* Ravenclaw *cough* I agree with you completely about travelling/relocating: it's not practical for most people, even if it is most effective.

Unfortunately, I think a lot of people lack the curiosity to read about people who are different from themselves. Maybe it's also narcissism, but white straight girls and boys like to read stories about white straight girls and boys - especially in fiction. These stories dominate fiction so it's pretty easy to stay in a bubble, even unintentionally. If we're lucky, there's a bit of diversity in the other characters that will make the reader learn or want learn more. I grew up in a racially mixed community and I didn't really notice how

[furiosity]

Ha, yeah, I hadn't even thought about that re: Obama. Basically the whole lot of the Tea Party jerk-offs are even sadder and more desperate than I thought (not a promising combo D