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No death, only time travel.
Existence exploration. Slip and slide, focus on present. Beginning and End are illusions. We move, eternally. Only memory is finite.
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Social justice and so called reckonings. The mob is online now, and occasionally takes to the streets for easy targets such as the Catholic Church, or nebulous boogeymen such as The Patriarchy or Systemic Racism. These misguided people, fools really, think they can change human nature or force it to be restricted by imposing a new structure. They seek to tear down and replace existing structures, or rearrange them to fit some ideal, unrecognizable - superficially - from the past. They naively think that there is some ideal that can be established, or some cleansing via “accountability” that can be done, to end up with a morally pure and just structure that serves all of society equitably. This kind of naivety is mind-boggling, especially when seen in older adults. But maybe it shouldn’t be so surprising and bewildering, as it may be true that most people who follow religion and nation do so mostly blindly, believing in the moral superiority or inherent good of these institutions. Then when they are badgered by some irrefutable evidence calling into question that superiority, they lose their faith and trust completely. Then they are left hungry and vulnerable, and latch onto whatever new ideology is thrust on them by groups complicit in attacking and removing the previous moral anchor. A certain number latch onto this new ideology with some brief thought, and they yield influence. Then a larger number follow these first ones and simply jump on the bandwagon.
Since the start of the pandemic, this has come up often. Sometimes in the form of a meme, sometimes in comments on Twitter.
Ex. Dr. Fauci has changed his mind on the legitimacy of the claim that Sars-Cov-2 originated from a lab in Wuhan. Critics of Fauci say he should resign (or worse) for dishonesty and treason. Fauci's supporters say his change of opinion is not a problem, "it's just how science works!" Now for a couple facts. Fact 1: "It's how science works" -Does not apply to political claims or opinions. -Cannot be claimed when "the science" is not in fact fully developed into a theory (i.e. it's just conjectures) and the claimed scientific consensus is the result of a highly polarized, politicized climate. A climate loaded with rhetoric, and wherein dissenters and critics and skeptics, or even anyone asking critical questions, get labeled as conspiracy theorists, racists, and a threat to public safety. Fact 2: Scientific theories do not get established in short periods of time. What's established first is conjecture, and scientists then make repeated attempts to falsify the conjecture. It takes years for the proper investigation, peer review, publication, and replication of scientific experiments for a scientific fact to be established. And then it can take many more years for these facts to either be backed up further or refined or revised or replaced altogether. Scientific facts are not established and then discarded in a matter of mere months. Any claim otherwise is dubious. Takeaways: 1. A scientific consensus does not give anyone the right to dismiss or ridicule an opposing view and label the person with such view as idiotic or dangerous. 2. The scientific process does not excuse flip-flopping or inconsistent opinions on highly politicized matters. 3. Just as science and religion are separate, so too science and politics are separate. 4. Science does not include ignoring or discarding valid claims, without first undertaking sufficient inquiry. What you call standing in solidarity, I call appropriating oppression. This concept, or phenomenon, occurred to me some time ago, but I published it only recently. It's when someone takes the oppression of a group they're not part of, and acts as though it's their own. It also includes opportunistic assholes from one group highjacking another group's protest (for example, Extinction Rebellion members attending Wet'suwet'en railway blockades to push their own agenda - environmentalists highjacking territory rights activists).
An another example is a heterosexual individual acting as though they know firsthand the oppression a LGBT member has endured. This individual reacts to homophobia as though they had been directly hurt. I've seen this most often in white women (basic bitches) and white dudes (basic bros). It's when someone thinks they're being an ally, but in reality they're simply using the oppression of another group as an excuse to be triggered/outraged, and get attention and sympathy. I wonder if anyone else has defined this as "appropriating oppression"? A quick google search says no. As you mature and grow, you assume the world matures and grows too. You learn from the world, so why wouldn't it be growing, or grown, as it feeds you?
Progress is not linear. It simply means moving forward along a path, which winds and circles, and intersects itself. We lie to ourselves when we say we do good simply by moving forward. In reality we simply do. Recently I heard someone say, you're immortal until you die. It's true, I thought, because so many things could've killed me yet here I stand. And I will never know death, because there is no consciousness in death. I am aware only of being alive. What a wonderful life!
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CrumbumThe sometimes Philosophizer. Archives
February 2022
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