More of what I've learned about identity · 12:37am Mar 14th, 2023
I do believe a lot of this applies to the current issues in our society regarding the concept of identity. Humans seem to really like assigning labels and categories to things, something I do myself, but we also get caught up on labels and rules very easily. It's our way of doing things and learning; we assign names and labels to concepts or things to better organize our lives. The only real control in this world is what you make of it, and even that is debatable and subject to change. The only thing that doesn't change is the past... until we get time machines.
So, there's a lot of fuss these days about sexual identity, primarily because of persecution over sexual identity. It's a fact that throughout history, forms of deviance have been punished. Some of which, like beastiality, murder, rape, are rightly condemned and punished for, while others like homosexuality or transexuality have been treated the same way, which is wrong. If two adults love each other and consent to be together, it doesn't matter what their sexual preference is; love conquers all. Love, not base attraction is the connection and that forms a real bond. It doesn't matter if it's natural or not.
Another thing on that: using the argument that "homosexuality is natural" is a defense and an unnecessary one. It's clung to by many because they feel that people cannot rightly prosecute over what is natural, but what man assigns as natural is not necessarily natural. Nor is something considered "natural" automatically a good or justifiable thing. Death, viruses, parasites, lots of things are all natural but we cannot abide them. Some things, we would be better off without, like mosquitos. Extinction is another thing that is natural, according to some scientists and mankind should avoid that sort of nature.
I've grappled with the concept of acceptance all my life, along with possession and other things. So has my mother. What I have learned is that there are some things you should not accept- both about yourself and the world. And it can be even more dangerous than not accepting something you should when you accept something you shouldn't. Some of the most dangerous individuals are often the most cynical, the most dour and the most committed. Those who do not hesitate... often times, they have accepted their desperate situations, blind to alternatives, and they give in to things they shouldn't. Baser urges, vices... they can lead to tragedy.
Of course, I speak vaguely. But I've seen vice claim people before. My parents both suffered from several addictions, including alcoholism. It even destroyed my stepfather's life at the age of sixty-five. I ain't touching alcohol, that's my choice.
So, where does this all connect? My case and point is: identity based solely on sexuality is a major problem. It is understandable WHY this happened, though; I do not condemn any person for adhering to any ideology or philosophy. More so, I strive to understand why and to progress through understanding. It's not the fact that people are basing their identity on their sexual preference i.e. gay, straight, etc., it's the fact that these concepts are among the major defining factors for these individuals and their concepts of self. They do this because people were persecuted and still are to this day at time of writing for something as simple as having a sexual preference towards something outside the established norm. In forming a group, there is safety and power in numbers, unity creates organization.
Sexual preference, ultimately is something very trivial. Sex itself and reproduction are major parts of our society and lives, literally since life began. That is understandable and it's a big industry as well. But sexual preference is ultimately something we fixate on far too much and it's essentially the same as any other preference, like that of colors or food. Why you might prefer certain clothing over others, or certain features when picking a car to drive, your reasons and your preferences are your own. Some people prefer men, some people prefer women, some people prefer neither and some prefer both. As long as all parties are of legal age and consenting, there should be no problem.
Yet there are still countries in the world where two men or two women caught together could be jailed, publicly shamed or even beheaded. For something that amounts to choosing an apple over an orange, picking a hat instead of a cap. It's trivial. It's all so very trivial and it really makes no difference in the world. It is not our preferences or our beliefs that define us. Ultimately, it is our actions that make the biggest impact. You may be only speeding to get to work on time or because of something important, but if you're breaking the law, you're breaking the law. Even the law can be flexible and show leniency at times because it was written by man. So you may be breaking the law, but the officer writing the ticket may just give you a warning instead. It is people and their choices that make a difference for good and bad but good and bad still exist. Even with all the gray, black and white still exist. What changes is what you can do about it.
Life can be paradoxical at times. It's full of possibility and constraint, liberty and yet restriction, possible and impossible constantly swirling together in an infinite mixture. We are in the middle, a driving force of nature and our own force. We can tame things and yet we struggle to even find self-control. We can control the world and yet still be controlled by it because we are young. We're a young species still finding our way through things... and we face much difficulty going forward. We're are both dangerous and we are in danger. Dangerous to ourselves and others.
Where am I going with this? We need to get back our self-control. Persecuting people for their sexual preference, that needs to end. But we also need to stop the fixation on sexuality being the defining part of our identity. Someone who is gay or straight is always going to be more than just gay or straight. If they are a hiker or a jogger or a mechanic, it tells you more about them and their impact on the world than just what is going on in their pants.
Likewise, the LGBTQ+ community needs to change. Many who consider themselves part of this group are contributing to more and more ruthless, intolerant and uncompromising behavior. I'm not going to use the term "toxic" because it refers to toxins, things that are venomous. Someone's words and behavior cannot physically poison you, no, specifically, what they are being is bigoted and intolerant, even cruel and spiteful, judgmental and overly-critical towards others for having different opinions. In other words, they're being unkind. That's not productive, it's self-destructive.
Twitter and other social media platforms have amplified a lot of unkindness and it's simply because controversy gets attention. Kindness and good news doesn't get much. Here's where I get into specifics: personally, I've never felt like an ally or included in any LGBTQ+ stuff. And it's to the point where yeah, I refer to them as the Alphabet Soup Group when I'm irritated with them. A lot of the issues with identity are first-world problems. You're not worried about what bathroom you have to use if your bathroom is a tree outside and you don't worry about what clothes you have to wear if there are no clothes.
Point-blank: is there a genocide going on right now against transgender people? No.
Are trans rights human rights? Yes.
Do we even know what constitutes being trans? No. We don't have a fucking clue.
Should BOTH sides, ALL sides on this issue, Left, Right, Center and outside stop trying to force each other to conform to new rules, old rules and start trying to be a bit more understanding of each other? Yes.
Now, let's address some recent issues.
1. J.K. Rowling is rich and entitled to her oft-times stupid and narrow-minded opinions. Play a video game. Honestly I thought the Chamber of Secrets game for the Gamecube was good enough back in the day but whatever. Shit's expensive now.
2. Don't force your pronouns on other people. If you want someone to use a certain pronoun or name with you, ask them and if they politely decline, accept that their view of you doesn't change your identity.
3. Schools are basically prisons in the U.S. and you don't really have rights until you turn 18. Your parents and guardians have rights. Don't attempt to wear anything in a school with your genitals or tits hanging out, that goes for everybody. If your crossdressing is convincing enough, no one will have any problems. Also, a lot of books are banned in schools. They ain't banning shit on Amazon so if you give a rat's ass, download it to your phone. There is no real book ban, just some things that aren't textbooks are no longer considered learning material.
Teachers need to stop trying to teach kids to be depressed about who they are in schools. During Black History Month growing up, you think I felt included watching a lot of that stuff? And yet the Civil Rights Movement needed white people, they needed ALLIES to help achieve things. We STILL need allies, we ALL need allies, we all need FRIENDS. Friendship is magic, right?
I'm looking at the Left right now- you folks have been too ruthless, too cynical, too hateful, bigoted, intolerant and resentful since Barrack Obama got elected. One man preached change but was it an improvement? Did anything really get better? There's new iPhones so... that's about it. The conservatives don't change, they don't need to change, they do a little bit at a time for better AND worse and that is unfortunate. They need to leave folks alone more when they're not doing anything wrong. They've perceived people as threats when they aren't threatening anything.
We as a species are in such a rush to understand things that we make new rules and new labels for things when we first see them. But the understanding has to come first and then comes a more concrete rule or label- it follows a concrete understanding. What you like, what your preference is should not matter to anyone except you. What you feel, how you define yourself, it applies to you first and what you do applies to the rest of the world. People should not be persecuted for their preferences OR their opinions and views. We should not be forcing each other to conform to new rules just because we feel a certain way about ourselves or others. If no harm is done, no harm intended, no adverse negative affect sought, no hate given, then there should be no problem.
What have I learned about identity? I've learned that other people shouldn't make your identity their problem and that other people shouldn't make their identity other peoples' problem. Because everyone's identity is different and the only real way we can cooperate and progress as a society, as a species is not to force each other to conform... but to respect one another. What we should all DO is practice some understanding.
Interesting, as far as it goes, but do remember this is only opinion...
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It's an idea, a concept, a notion if you will. It's one person's view and it may help others to see things more clearly, which is why I chose to share it. You can't really change an idea, either- you can make a new one, but the old one still exists, easily able to fall back upon. The difference between a good idea and a bad idea is how you use it, if you can glean wisdom from it. I hope that folks glean wisdom from this.
In my experience, people cla8m to claim to want equality but just want to institute a their own hierarchy of superiority. That, and they declare themselves the judges who get to declare not just what you are, but what you think and everything connected to everything you do. If they decide you're evil, they can do whatever they want to you because you "deserve it".
Im sad that Cant Be Arsed isnt an accepted life option, because that terrifies those that demand the right to be seen as better than others and treated as such.
You want to be better than me? Not a problem Im beaten by most AIs, and thyre rubbish implementations. Just dont rub it in my face.
After all, you cant d anything about Sirius going supernovae and sterlising the local region, or a GRB pointing in our direction.
Keep setting fire to the house, cant complain when the next hurricane comes over and floods the entire area.
All very valid and insightful points. However, I'm personally afraid that with the function and state of the Internet, there's no hope of change through greater understanding or kindness. It's just too easy to insulate oneself from things they don't like, establishing a "them and us" mindset with an ever narrower perspective and no incentive to look at the bigger picture. Without something on the level of a paradigm shift, consolidation of power and communications will continue unabated, with useful stooges demanding additional power be given to those at the top to help "resolve" issues they were duped into causing in the first place. The current obsession with identity is a perfect example.
Every time I see someone gleefully shout "freedom of speech doesn't apply to corporations so it's fine to silence you", I wonder if they understand what they're actually saying. Up to the late 18th century the government held power over communication in a way that pales in comparison to the pervasive and instant power corporations do today, but even then the danger it represented was recognized and guarded against. Now a worse danger is celebrated every time it happens, because it could never happen to them.
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It's similar to the desire for freedom. People don't want total freedom, they want the freedom to live comfortably and conduct themselves how they see fit. If something is in their way, they too often don't understand why it's there and simply want it removed.
Many on the Left feel the established order doesn't benefit them and in fact exploits, neglects or harms them in some way, but it provides them many benefits such as safety and support. Same with many groups, including the religions, of which I count myself. You don't know what you've got until it's gone and there's a lot worse places than the United States or other first-world nations. We have the luxury of complaining about things on Twitter and other platforms.
I'm not saying things shouldn't change. We should continue to improve things, but there are those among the Left that are taking a ruthless and one-sided approach to these changes. And honestly, pollution, war and disease combatting take priority over issues regarding identity and gender. Again, it doesn't matter which bathroom you use if there is no bathroom. There are also many stubborn on the Right that don't want things to change at all, but I feel compromise is the key if we want things to continue. The media is utilizing fear to divide us when really, we should overcome it, give each other some respect and reach common ground.
If there is a civil war brewing, we're all going to lose.
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Even the corporations are afraid. Afraid of being canceled or losing money for saying or allowing the wrong thing to be said, so they inflict regulations and their own judgment, hoping desperately to establish a new norm. Corporate warfare is evolving as well and the Right and the Left are getting further from the center. Ultimately, I'm recording things here and on YouTube and I acknowledge the threat it could all be taken down. But nothing can stop the fact that it was there in the first place. I'm happy with that and I hope it stays up for quite a while.
Honestly, it would be for the best if our society could turn off everything electrical for a day and just live with our families and communities. Take one day out of the week to make the real world a better place. Many in our society don't want that to happen or fear it couldn't happen. One day, only emergency services are available. Hospitals, fire, police obviously but everything else, we shut down and conserve. A day of rest... again, I advocate practicing my own Christianity on a larger scale. People don't realize there is good in most things and wisdom if they look hard enough.
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Some of them are engaged with it, but it's generally small fry and highly visible employees to keep it progressing on track. Banks, holding companies, umbrella corporations; they're not afraid of cancel culture, they're the ones driving it. It's too useful for keeping populations divided and distracted. A house divided cannot stand, and we're seeing that every day. A pandemic happened and there were "sides" to it.
There is a lot worth saving and preserving though. Every day I meet regular people going about their lives, working and keeping life going for others. I see things built over centuries that will continue to stand if they aren't intentionally taken down. There's still so much good in our country that needs to be protected, and very real long-term problems like energy costs, oil, and what's going to happen when it becomes too expensive to have tens of thousands of semis hauling essential goods across the highway system. At any given point, we are three days from empty shelves and empty pumps, and a few weeks from essential and emergency services shutting down. But the Internet makes it too easy to focus on fabricated issues and divide oneself away from the whole, and to find easy excuses to justify heinous actions at both the individual and national levels.