This will likely become a series on this blog. Things I see or hear that are proof the world is coming to an end. Last night I was talking to some random bar patron -- outside having a smoke discussing the inconvenience of the smoking ban. The smoking ban is another subject for which I will need to devote an entire section of this blog. Back to the point though, the conversation went something like this:
Idiot: "Sucks to have to smoke outside huh?"
Me: "Well yes it does."
Idiot: "But ya know, then I guess I’ll smoke less so that’s good."
Me: "I would prefer to make that decision myself rather than be socially engineered into it."
Idiot: "Well, I don’t always make the right decisions, so maybe it’s just better if someone makes them for me."
Me: "I think I’ll go slam my testicles in the door of my car now in order to mitigate the pain your comment just caused me."
OK, I didn't say that last comment out-loud, but I sure as hell thought it. Let’s think this through for a minute. This is a grown man who presumably has a job and supports himself. He may even have children (God forbid). What has happened to this man that makes him so willing, even eager, to throw away the very concept of personal choice? What series of life altering events made him think that it’s better to just have other people make decisions for him because he is too stupid or too afraid to do it himself? I have some theories.
I wrote a whole laundry list of sociological implications and ideas surrounding a series of theories I was considering. After re-reading them however, it occurred to me that the problems here are self evident. I’ll not insult the reader by trying to explain them. Let me just leave you with this to chew on once more, just mull this over until the aneurysm kicks in:
"Well, I don’t always make the right decisions, so maybe it’s just better if someone makes them for me"
‘nuff said.
mal•a•prop n. - the unintentional misuse of a word by confusion with one that sounds similar
Example: You need an altitude adjustment, you’re too self-defecating.”
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prop•o•si•tion (prp-zshn) n.
1. A Subject for discussion or analysis.
2. A statement that affirms or denies something.
Example: “I think you should go play a nice game of hide-and-go-fuck-yourself.”
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
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2 comments:
(I keep reposting this because I hate finding typos. There, finally got it right.)
I'm trying to rectify your hostility toward what this guy said with my personal knowledge that you also basically think people are by and large stupid and ignorant.
You want a society based on personal choice when most people make bad choices that negatively affect the rest of society? My God, it's the Libertarian Rapture!
OK, let me clarify. I don't actually want this guy to make choices. I want him to WANT to make choices. I feel it is then incumbent upon the rest of us to ruthlessly remove his ability to make those stupid choices. Essentially, I want for him what has been done to me (see socially engineered) and then I want him to be mad about it, but powerless to do anything. In other words, I find his contentment and happiness utterly offensive and I insist that he be as frustrated and miserable as I am.
There is a balance that can only exist if people who desire freedom and liberty have to fight for it--even if they usually lose. If they don't at least put up a fight then the whole system collapses. It undermines the whole point of a republic. Our representative democracy needs leaders that over-rule the will of an uneducated, semi-illiterate majority faction. If the majority faction doesn't behave irresponsibly, then our representative democracy serves no purpose and we may as well have a totalitarian state... it would then at least be more efficient.
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