On Superficiality (and Popped-Collars)
It really has never dawned on me until coming here to college, but under the flagged issue of popped-collars, there are two camps. Those for, and those against. Really, I'm not surprised, but what I am surprised about is the nature by which those who are against popped-collars extend their will to try and make it a real issue! This bothers me because it is totally superficial. Many people, especially Americans, claim that they believe in the Code of Freedom (another one of my writings, which I will expand on in a different article) but then they make attempts to scrutinize and persecute people who practice their freedom. Does this truly make sense? Does this truly allow one to believe in the Code of Freedom? No.
This article, while it has a profound component to it, also has a very surface-level component geared towards those who consider themselves part of my inner-circle, and is thus an explanation to why I choose to pop my collar on occasion.
Everyone has heard the age old saying (you know a saying is age old when the credit can no longer be documented) "Don't judge a book by its cover." But if you see a person who pops his collar, and you think, "What a preppy douche". What have you just done? You've judged by the cover. It is truly and honestly no different than if you looked at a person and by the color of their skin; you made irrational deductions about the quality of their character. Yes, there are generalizations, yes there are stereotypes (more about this topic in Generalizing the Stereotype) but these do not represent the totality of a people who may fit them. One is wrong to judge a person by anything other than the actions of another, for a person who may look like a demon may very well truly be a saint.
A very rational objection is that you must judge a lion, as a lion. Just because the generalization of lions is that they are carnivores, and that they will attack you, it does not necessarily apply that you should wait to see if the lion will. But don't be so quick to take this concept as a means to judge human beings, or those who claim to possess "sentience" or higher-level thought. (More about this topic in the Nature of Socio-Complexity) While is it rational to use your predispositions about something based on your senses (sight being a vital role to the information the brain processes) to make very light and casual objections, it is not appropriate to use them to complete a final judgment about someone who has the ability to be diverse, and to have complexities to their life and character.
It is superficial, that is, the concept of passing judgment about another based on pieces of information which may retain increasing amounts of probability towards being false. If we strive to become better, as individuals, and as a race, we must understand this. On a very basic politically top sense, we do understand many things that are superficial, such as racial discrimination and gender discrimination. But we do not have the rights to a claim-all. Many other topics, ranging in importance from sexuality discrimination to as trivial as popped-collars still plagues us. Are we so placid, so complacent in what is means to be alive, that we must forge personal wars against things which do not affect us? Because we do not need to hunt our food to survive (simply buy it from a market) we need to create superficial concepts to keep our minds intrigued? Maybe so, but even if that is the case, we're choosing the wrong ideals.
Nietzsche and the many more who've writ ideas on the existentialist movement give us far better ideals to make apart of our natures. Betterment of self, betterment of those who mean something to you. These are worthy endeavors, rather than seeking to dispose to disparage others who are doing the same for themselves. (Code of Freedom) Let us rise to the call, and end superficiality once and for all, if it may be possible for our race.
This article, while it has a profound component to it, also has a very surface-level component geared towards those who consider themselves part of my inner-circle, and is thus an explanation to why I choose to pop my collar on occasion.
"Don't judge a book by its cover." ~ American Proverb
Everyone has heard the age old saying (you know a saying is age old when the credit can no longer be documented) "Don't judge a book by its cover." But if you see a person who pops his collar, and you think, "What a preppy douche". What have you just done? You've judged by the cover. It is truly and honestly no different than if you looked at a person and by the color of their skin; you made irrational deductions about the quality of their character. Yes, there are generalizations, yes there are stereotypes (more about this topic in Generalizing the Stereotype) but these do not represent the totality of a people who may fit them. One is wrong to judge a person by anything other than the actions of another, for a person who may look like a demon may very well truly be a saint.
A very rational objection is that you must judge a lion, as a lion. Just because the generalization of lions is that they are carnivores, and that they will attack you, it does not necessarily apply that you should wait to see if the lion will. But don't be so quick to take this concept as a means to judge human beings, or those who claim to possess "sentience" or higher-level thought. (More about this topic in the Nature of Socio-Complexity) While is it rational to use your predispositions about something based on your senses (sight being a vital role to the information the brain processes) to make very light and casual objections, it is not appropriate to use them to complete a final judgment about someone who has the ability to be diverse, and to have complexities to their life and character.
It is superficial, that is, the concept of passing judgment about another based on pieces of information which may retain increasing amounts of probability towards being false. If we strive to become better, as individuals, and as a race, we must understand this. On a very basic politically top sense, we do understand many things that are superficial, such as racial discrimination and gender discrimination. But we do not have the rights to a claim-all. Many other topics, ranging in importance from sexuality discrimination to as trivial as popped-collars still plagues us. Are we so placid, so complacent in what is means to be alive, that we must forge personal wars against things which do not affect us? Because we do not need to hunt our food to survive (simply buy it from a market) we need to create superficial concepts to keep our minds intrigued? Maybe so, but even if that is the case, we're choosing the wrong ideals.
Nietzsche and the many more who've writ ideas on the existentialist movement give us far better ideals to make apart of our natures. Betterment of self, betterment of those who mean something to you. These are worthy endeavors, rather than seeking to dispose to disparage others who are doing the same for themselves. (Code of Freedom) Let us rise to the call, and end superficiality once and for all, if it may be possible for our race.
posted by ARF at 10:49 AM
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