perceptions
POSTED BY: boris
UPDATED: Thursday, February 4, 2010 23:29
VIEWED: 5520
PAGE 4 of 5
Actually, Storymark, mincingbeast is an okay guy.
But he really is a nihilist, which is both why he said that, and why I posted that seemingly non-sequitor response.
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Further clarification, I am a college professor and have similar duties and responsibilities. And yeah, the coach had more than a passing resemblance to a certain portion of the male anatomy ;-) That wasn't the problem. The problem was a double standard of behavior.
At the college level, I am not a favorite of the the coaches because I require homework and I don't allow coaches to proctor exams on the road, I do it myself. I have also asked students, (not just jocks btw) to leave class and not return until they can fake behaving like an adult. My dean, bles him, backs me up all the way.
The double standard still exists but fades some when you hold it up to a bright light. After a day of thought, I still don't forgive the coach, but I am calmer. Hope all of you never cross pathes with a bully again ;-)
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I didn't think it was a non-sequitor, I rather liked it.
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i respectfully submit that glasses, and other signifiers of geekdom, do not make someone incapable of cruelty towards the weak.
when i was a lad, i was a geek, and the least among geeks. in my little world the geeks would get picked on, and in turn pick on me. i dreamt of the day when i would have someone to protect me, or at least someone to pick on of my own.
i can not blame my bullies. everyone needs someone to pick on, whether or not they know it, and i was an easy target: stuttering, dim-witted, poorly dressed, tiny, and socially obnoxious. At least the tiny part has changed.
i admit with no pride that when i was strong enough to bully, i dabbled in it. i was surprised to discover that it did not make me feel good, but rather guilty. i still have a bit of bully in me, and you do too, and thats human nature.
perhaps i can channel my aggressive and boarish tendencies and bully other bullies, and become an apex-bully? unlikely. i think the best we can hope for is feeling guilty.
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Ah. So, misunderstanding then. We DO all have bullies in us. And normally, the guilt is the discouragement. Sort of a whole "Who you are in the dark" thing.
I think there's a difference between people who are not bullies and people who are regularly bullies, however, and who enjoy it.
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Quote:
Originally posted by Bytemite:
Hey ubermensch. Your nihilism is showing.
B]
Give me a moment while I tuck it away again...okay, all better. Thanks for bringing me back to earth.
I'd like to think that Nietzche is something that I outgrew, but your words resonate with me. granted, i prefer him on literature to philosophy. anyway, my particular brand of adolescent nihilism is probably closer to bokonon from vonnegut's cat's cradle (or the jackass from artsits for immediate nuclear war that steers the narrator away from nihilism).
in hindsight, i may have left the impression that i am a reaver, or at least and advocate for bullies. its a subject i have very strong opinions about, none of which are to my credit. human cruelty is a source of endless fascination for me, especially the point where bullying turns into a legally cognizable harm.
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The issue is, I suspect, that we are not inherently rational, but in fact are emotional and rationializing in nature. We tend to do things driven by emotion and then use our relatively new skills at rationalizing to make it seem like we either had no choice or that it was, in fact, the best choice.
I see the logic Nilihism and the comfort in the belief that our decisions aren't important, the world will devolve (if it hasn't already) to a completely nasty and evil place.
I also see the seduction. Nilihism suggests or has been interpeted to suggest that all we do is pointless and it's better to lead a completely hedonistic life because it doesn't matter and in the end, once we are gone, no one will care.
I am seduced by a different world view. In the movie "Secondhand Lions" the old warrior Hub, played brilliantly by Robert Duvall, has "the speech that all young men should hear". You never hear the whole thing but the exerpt is very moving. Here it is.
" Sometimes the things that may or may not be true are the things a man needs to believe in the most. That people are basically good. That honour, courage and virtue mean everything ; that power and money ... money and power mean nothing. That good always triumphs over evil. And I want you to remember this.... that love....true love never dies ! Remember that boy ... remember that. Doesn't matter if it is true or not, a man should believe in those things , because those are the things worth believing in...... got that ? "
I submit that it is a completely emotional premise and that I am using my powers of rationalization to convince myself that it is in fact enough of the truth to build a life on. But I have from time to time, been the "good guy" tha Hub speaks about, and it is glorious!
To paraphrase St. Thomas Aquinus's argument about religion, if Nilihism is in fact the way of the world, what harm have I done in believing differently as I have been happier this way than many other ways to live and it really won't matter. But what if Nilihism is wrong?
Again, I freely admit that this is an emotional view of the world, colored by my rationalizations and love of the printed word ..... And if that isn't good enough for you, sue me 
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Mostly the reason I posted what I did is I wanted to be clear to everyone that you're coming from a different direction here. In general there's nothing WRONG exactly with being a nihilist, it's like any personal philosophy, though there are types/applications of nihilism that concern me. But you don't have to call it adolescent. It's how you feel about things.
I figured (assumed?) that your philosophy had something to do with your statements, so I was preemptively heading off any misunderstandings by providing background. Nihilism is poorly understood, thanks to hollywood stereotypes about nihilism and Nietzsche.
And I also wasn't accusing you of anything really, but rather trying to see what kind of nihilist you are. Sometimes people aren't aware of the ubermensch idea, or if they are, they think the ubermensch means rejecting all morality, not acting in the face of the majority morality when it's immoral.
And in regards to Nietzsche, I know what you mean. I disagree with a lot of the philosophy, but the man certainly had literary oomph and writing style. Some really excellent imagery. Mostly I'm just frustrated about how he inspired so much of the "life is pointless, let's all die, black is my soul, bloody tears from my eyes" emo stuff when he was arguing AGAINST it. Consequences and misunderstandings abound.
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Quote:
Originally posted by startroop:
And if that isn't good enough for you, sue me :winkno:
at last, a new, more adult venue for bullying, far more deadly than the wet willy: the law suit. as soon as i can think of an appropriate cause of action, i am going to sue you. for serious.
i completely agree that humans are inherently irrational creatures, reason poor, but rich in mechanisms for rationalizing the ridiculous things they do. sometimes i catch myself in the act, and its almost funny.
however, nihilism is an emotional worldview, not a rational one, and i would never offer an intellectual defense of nihilism. its not defensible.
nihilism is seductive because it is easy. its negation, simply rejection of meaning. that said, i cant resist it, and its actually kind of comforting, in a way. not really a foundation for building a life on, however. anyway, its a good point of purchase for bullying, because it implicates the same problems about responsibility and the greater significance of our actions.
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