I'm becoming a bit concerned

[phantasm]

I don't care how inflammatory this post might be. But for some reason, today, at this moment, I needed to pop on this site and start typing shit.

I am a straight, white male.

Lately, this designation is being thrown around the culture as an insult.
I am just a bit worried that my so-called 'kind' is being vilified as the Source of Everything Evil.
Where I am supposed to "check my privilege" just because I was born a straight, white male. Where, supposedly,
being a straight, white male is a Golden Key that can unlock a bank vault full of duffel bags full of cash.

White people are the only people you can insult in this country and get away with it.
That's why I learned at an extremely young age to despise sitcom TV shows. All white fathers are poorly written caricatures.
It's no wonder that I preferred to watch Spock on Star Trek TOS and Picard on Star Trek TNG.
Why would I want to watch any sitcom regularly for years on end? You abuse my 'kind' and I will change the channel or turn off the TV.

You look at me and you don't see me. You look at me and see a symbol instead of a human being.

I don't even know what the hard walls of the box are that defines a straight, ethnically white male.
It is the one 'culture' in this country that isn't bound together by "common experiences." Whatever the hell THAT is supposed to even mean......

There are white Christians. There are white atheists. There are white agnostics. There are white Baptists and there are white Satanists.

There is no one part of the country known for a particularly high concentration of white people in the cities, to the exclusion of other races.
There is no one European nation where all white people emigrated from.
There is not a handful of distinct musical styles that supposedly originated with white people and "belongs to them exclusively."
Whatever the hell THAT means.
There is no style of clothing, style of art, style of speaking, that all white people are known for.

There is no one culture that defines what it means to be white.

There are white millionaires.
There are white middle class people.
There are white people living in poverty in the cities.
There are white people living in poverty in rural situations.

Those are all different cultures of white people.
Yet all straight, white males are being lumped together.

Somehow, all straight, white males have become a symbol and a lightning rod for everyone's ire.
"We" are all supposedly A Class of Oppressors That Are Uniquely Privileged, And They Must Go The Way Of The Do-Do Bird.


I am straight.
I am white.
I am male.
I am left-handed.
I am a Xennial, a micro-generation between millenials and Gen X. Also, I had parents who were both born and raised in the Silent Gen.

This means I was *effectively* raised by extremely young grandparents, without the benefit of having a couple of people in the family older than me but younger than them.

That has consequences for the unconscious definition of the word 'family'  I have in my head.

I am celibate.

I am an INTP on the MBTI personality classification system. Despite my type being known for being good at math, I personally have sucked at math when it comes to Algebra.
That makes me somewhat of a minority in the INTP community, despite certain facets of my mind approaching the world the way an engineer might.

I have a brother 7~8 yrs older than me.
I have a sister 10~11 yrs older than me.
That means that for the second half of my childhood, I was *effectively* an only child.
That means my experience of what it means to have a family is at best quixotic.

I was sheltered in extremis as a child. That was due to my mother being mostly a Fundamentalist/Evangelical type who as terrified of "The World with it's empty promises."

My Dad was the rational, scientific type. And he passively sat in his chair in the living room, reading the paper and watching the news. He let my mother stamp her religion all over me as I grew up. His being there had an effect on my personality, too. I take after my father 1000 times more than I do my mother. He, however, did very little explicit, verbal instruction. To my detriment.

My family was middle class. Just barely. The house looked pretty good on the outside.

But after my father was permanently laid off of his bank job while I was in 4th grade, a few corners of the house fell into disrepair.... eventually.

There was a rash of bank mergers in the early '80s and my dad caught a piece of it.

So we used poor-man fix-it solutions instead of hiring a guy to solve the occasional problem.

My father carried bitterness over losing his job, bitterness that probably was a contributing factor to developing cancer.

All that shit above enumerates my experience of intersectionality.

You look at me and see 'white privilege?' I've had a host of quixotic, individually crafted problems foisted on me by my being raised by my parents, who had lousy maps of reality in their heads, and the personal choices I made in the context of their lousy parenting. I have done my best to heal and move on, yet nothing I do ever feels like enough.

We all have our own pain that we have to work through. The more we lump large swaths of people together, the more we cause one another unnecessary pain.

I am becoming concerned that the cultural climate of the United States is becoming increasingly hostile to my so-called 'kind.'

This is my home, the only home I have ever known. Should I flee to Europe and let the culture push me out of my own country?

Who on the other side of the pond would even take the likes of me? I have no credentials that would make it supposedly easy for me to get a job overseas. I'm the ultimate generalist.

I don't even know if I want to leave my home. This is my home.

So, there you have it. My state of mind on this particular day.

[darkness0within]

I personally would not think this as inflammatory Phantasm. I thought it was very well penned.

This is a generalisation but what can anyone do about what has happened in the distant past? An apology? Compensation?

Should we in England try to get compensation from Italy for the roman occupation or from the French for the Norman conquests? And likewise the French asking the English for compensation for the 100 years war etc.

Should America try to get compensation from the British for the American war of independence?

I think every country would be apologising for something or another if you drill down through history. As to compensation where would it end?

The truth is over time some people over time have been very cruel to some other people.

I don't say it was right. Of course not. But you cannot change the past. All you can do is shine light onto what can be seen.

The pendulum swings one way, and then another in time. When it stops dead centre, then equality will become a reality. However I very much doubt if it will ever stop.

[phantasm]

Whatever happened to the notion of communication? Where did we get the idea that you can only rule a group of people if you are "one of them?" This notion is extremely destructive to the idea of a pluralistic democracy.

It doesn't matter what skin color your Representative in Congress is. All that's necessary is that the guy sits down with the people he represents every so often

and finds out what makes them tick, what they want, why they want it, how far they're willing to go to get it. True, I will never know what it "Feels" like to be black in America.

On the other hand, no other racial group classed as non-white in our kinda-sorta caste system really knows what it's like to be white in America.

There are 1000 factors that go into making us who we are as individuals. Why stop at race, ethnicity, sexuality, age, and/or geographic location?

No human being is just one thing, and one thing alone. That sounds like a bad caricature of a fictional character. Do people really want to come off as caricatures?

Sigh........ I need a vacay from my culture. Can I come live with you for a month? What part of the British Isles do you live in?

[darkness0within]

You're right Phantasm on the 1000 factors, probably a lot more too that go to making us who we are as individuals.

I think society in general likes to label people with this or that tag, and I feel this is a mistake because everyone is different. True, there is a consensus for some people in certain things. Religion / Politics being the two that spring to mind. But that does not mean each individuals interpretation of things are the same. Far from it sometimes it seems to me.

Most of us just wish to fit into our societies as best we can. Others wish to live beyond this, which is fine as long as it does not hurt others in the process.

Human kind is evolving as time goes by. And evolution is a painful process. If we don't mutually destroy ourselves in the process there will become a time where everyone will eventually be able to get on with life without the petty squabbles that have plagued us from the beginning. In the future we will have to get on to cure the environmental issues our forefathers and the current generations have created. But it will take time.

Everyone is gifted in something or another. It is important that everyone has the chance to unlock their potential. Actually I feel that this is vital for an assured future for mankind. Poverty should become a thing of the past by giving people the chance to make something of their life. Though just handing out money is not the answer, for there are some who would take advantage and not contribute to society. That's the most important thing. Contributing to society, otherwise the individual becomes isolated from society too.

I live in the south Phantasm. A small, (well not so small now) seaside town on the coast. We have the same issues that America has, perhaps not so much of the gun crime. But we have homeless people sleeping rough, drug problems, gang culture, knife crime. The grass in not always greener it seems. So I don't think you'd like my neck of the woods. It would be a bit of a busman's holiday.

[heartfelt7]

I also don't believe your post is inflammatory, Phantasm. It seemed to me to be a reaction to all the inflammatory things happening in America right now, and a response to being attacked for who you are. I myself have tried to stay in the middle, not be provoked, and ignore the worst, but I can't lie. I am hopping mad - not at this side or that side, but "both" sides. They care nothing for the country, only their side, their own self interest, and have ripped this country apart. I can't write much of anything in this state of mind unless I want to add to the anger and hatred running amok, which I don't. So you're not alone, and at least on this website you are heard. Out there, though, I'm not sure anyone is listening to anyone else.

[darkness0within]

You have a point Heartfelt7.

It just goes to show how far we need to go in our evolution. We see ourselves as the pinicle of evolution. But in the main we have forgotten how to work with our world.

We are the new kids on the block in geological terms. A very successful species... Too successful to the detriment of all other species. And eventually if we carry on as we are detrimental to ourselves. Our world populations will grow to a point where we will not be able to feed ourselves. Densely populated areas become more prone to sickness. Our incessant pollution of our world is even now coming back to bite us.

As to the current situation. It is sad to think anger and hatred still abounds. Nothing changes it seems to me. Just the mechanism. The have and the have-nots still exist in a time of 'enlightenment'. This has always been, and there are no easy answers to solve it. You would need to dismantle the whole concept of society as we see it now and rebuild it, and I don't think many would have the appetite for the chaos this would bring for generations.

[heartfelt7]

Hey Darkness0Within, I can see that you see a bigger picture. It does help make the smaller things we focus on more palatable. I love to speculate on the whole, which I believe we are only a small part of. I was reading Anirbis' "blog" (which I wish she would start up again) and thought I might try spewing out some of my overflowing speculation. Not like an opinion (because I know I don't know), and not like a poem (because my muse is in shock) but just like Phantasm said, popping on this site and getting some of this stuff out.

[darkness0within]

Don't get me wrong Heartfelt7. I have my own little niggles too. I try not to get too wound up about stuff though normally.

It is good to look at the broader picture I feel, it puts things into perspective. But we still have to concentrate on our own day to day situation.

It's true that one person can change the world, but they can't do it alone. That's the paradox. 

[heartfelt7]

A paradox for sure. With seven billion people, each seeing the world through their own perspective, we have a kind of "fractured" collective awareness. No wonder we can't agree and people tend to "tribe" together when they find someone who thinks along a similar line. It's the thinking that only they are right that causes the problems. I wonder if this need for control is the root of all our problems. Oh well, this is the type of mental wandering that I want to try blogging about. (I'm an arm-chair philosopher) ha!

[phantasm]

For all the congenital defects in the Constitution, I am nowhere near ready to see the thing torn up and tossed in the garbage can of history. I think a few hundred years from now it may well be given a pride of place in the history of government in the West along with the Magna Carta and a few other documents. I'm a big science fiction fan so there are places in my mind where I like to experiment on what alternatives to our government people have lived under. But seriously, in the real world, I don't want to see the Constitution go.

I'm afraid there are some people out there who want to flush the Constitution down the toilet just because it was written by straight, white men.

Especially considering what certain people are doing to statues, all statues. Of Confederate generals and Founding Fathers alike.

Right now, somehow, a group of somebodys fermented violent hatred for all straight, white men. Especially the ones that died centuries ago.

What this would come down to is the U.S. breaking up into various ethno-states. White supremacists in the Pacific Northwest. Black supremacists in the core of the former Confederacy, where there was the highest concentration of black slaves in previous centuries. Who-knows-what would crop up in the Midwest states. Hell, even today there are some people whose families have lived in Hawaii for more generations than those islands have been a state, and wish they could be an independent nation again. And then there are swaths of territory west of the Rockies that are controlled by various Native American tribes.

We may argue as to how much "America is a good place to live" vs "America is a bad place to live."

But if/when the country falls, I do believe we're going to miss it.

[heartfelt7]

I don't know if the Constitution will be torn up, Phantasm, but it does need more amendments to protect the various groups that are being persecuted right now by our privatized, for-profit government. We have a vicious immigration force, a militarized police force, and a corporate elite that think "We the People" are prey. Every country has ups and downs. England had Henry VIII, Germany had Hitler, and we've got Trump. We'll get over it. The Constitution will hold.

[darkness0within]

The problems of society stem from the past.

As I've said elsewhere we look at the past with our 21st century eyes, trying to make sense of things that seem alien to us now, though were quite normal back then. As future generations will do exactly the same thing and try to analyse us, and wonder why we were how we were and how wrong we did things.

Our hunter gatherer instincts still survive today. As do our tribal instincts. It seems natural to gravitate to some tribe or another so to speak, starting with our family units. Todays cities and towns are a far cry from the existence our ancestors had, and deep down we still carry that instinct within us. It really is not that long ago when you had to fight to survive the climate, or others wanting what you may have, be it land, or possessions. And it's sobering to think many of us would not have survived for one reason or another. Leaders started small. Heads of households, but in time leaders became rulers of areas of land by what ever means. Times of greater conflicts, but the beginnings of nations and empires had arrived. Some good, some bad. Dependant on who you were then. It's funny to me that a lot of the western political and economic systems derive from the Romans, who in turn borrowed much from the Greeks. Even our calendar is Roman, they again tweaked it from an older system.

My point is we are all playing catch up, and it is going to take time to evolve into our new 'lifestyles'.

[heartfelt7]

Do you think mankind is learning from history though? We seem to always be repeating it, usually the ugliest parts of our history, almost as if each generation must face the same challenge to see what they would do. To me it's just sad, because we are running out of time to evolve any further. Nuclear weapons, climate change, overpopulation (yikes)!

[phantasm]

Biological evolution works on scales of millennia upon millennia.
Cultural evolution works anywhere between the pace of a lame snail to a cheetah on crack chasing down a wildebeest.

Barring genetic engineering, there's very little we can do about our physiology.

Education is a different story. Essentially, education is the fount head of pretty much any form of culture. Education is what's driven cultural evolution.

Which makes disparities in education based on zip code criminal, at minimum.

I don't know what happened to the educational edifice in this country, but something is and has been sorely lacking, maybe for longer than I've been alive (41 yrs old).

Somehow, the breakdown of the educational system is driving the quasi-tribalization of our ethnic minorities.

Sigh. I want to pave over every centimeter of Texas and relocate everyone on Earth into the ultimate mega-city.

Maybe then we'll all really get to know each other, see the The Other as not so different and not so bad, and learn to live and let live.

Basically, our salvation lies in seeing all human beings as individuals.

[heartfelt7]

Your wish for others to "live and let live" shows you are a very decent person, Phantasm. Even though you can't make others believe it, it's a beautiful way to live. I'm with you.

[darkness0within]

Aug 28, 2020 8:58:54 GMT -6 heartfelt7 said:

Do you think mankind is learning from history though? We seem to always be repeating it, usually the ugliest parts of our history, almost as if each generation must face the same challenge to see what they would do. To me it's just sad, because we are running out of time to evolve any further. Nuclear weapons, climate change, overpopulation (yikes)!

Short answer... No. Mankind in general feels that because something went wrong last time does not mean it will go wrong again, feeling that perhaps with a tweak it would work. This is laudable for the more positive things, and is one of humanities strengths. To carry on regardless to for instance find a cure for disease. But on the flip side can bring out the darkest of human kind. Perhaps to create a virus that kills millions. And this is humanities weakness.

It does come down to this...

We see ourselves as the dominent species on this planet. And if this is the case we should have more respect. Not just for each other. But for all other species that we share this world with. Like it or not this is a symbiotic world. And we destroy species of plants and animals at our peril. Some of humanity see this world as their plaything, not caring what damage is done while they make money, or gain power for powers sake. Till perhaps one day it is too late. But by then those that had this mindset will be long gone leaving behind their bitter legacy.

You're right Phantasm... Bialogical evolution takes a long time. But cultural evolution also takes time. Not so long, a few generations perhaps.

I'll come back to this...

[darkness0within]

Coming back on this...

As you said Phantasm. We cannot do much about our biology. Though some have tried in crude ways in the past. Livestock breeders use selection to create better livestock with characteristics suited for what they require in the market place. Our pet dogs are bread to have characteristics that we desire, but if we stopped tinkering livestock and dogs would in a few generations go back to what they originally were. It is crude genetic engineering that bypasses natural selection.

You're right. Education is so important. Not just for those in the education system, but for society too. There is a saying. 'With knowledge comes responsibility'. Teachers have a responsibility to teach the right things that will enhance the individual. It is true though that not everyone is academic, and a more vocational approach is better for some. I sometimes feel that schools are more like factories at times, and if children do not fit into that type of system they become potensially condemned to be the outsiders of society, and this is wrong. Everyone has worth and can contribute to society and have meaningful lives if given the chance.

I'm not sure about moving the worlds population to one spot. though I understand some of the reasons why you might think its a good idea.

I feel most people pull together when there is a crisis, (apart from a few that would wish to take advantage of a given situation). That's when you see the best in people, where boundaries of race, religion and politics begin to brake down and the common good comes to the fore. Perhaps there is a clue there for the future.

[phantasm]

>>I feel most people pull together when there is a crisis, (apart from a few that would wish to take advantage of a given situation). That's when you see the best in people, where boundaries of race, religion and politics begin to break down and the common good comes to the fore.


And do you see this occurring in the society you see around you? Do you see the fault lines in society disappearing?

Granted, the news is ruled by the adage, 'if it bleeds, it leads.' CNN, the BBC, etc. tend focus on what's happening out there, in the real world. And there is a lot that can go wrong in the real world. The BBC is better than a lot of news outlets, I've been getting a lot of my news through them lately. They try to give good news as well. But then, they stick to one or a few good news stories and run it/them for a long while. Bad news seems to be a lot more dynamic than good news.

It's not that I think cooperation never happens at all. For example, within Christianity, in the realm of intra-religous interaction, most towns of significant size in America have something like a Council of Churches. They send representatives of some sort, they coordinate charitable efforts, and such. These sorts of things have been around as long as I've been alive, if not longer.

Problem is, these types of organizations strike me as toothless and ineffective. At least, when you compare them to for-profit ventures.
Our world was designed by corporations in order for corporations to more easily flourish. What, prey tell, are we supposed to do about that?

[darkness0within]

Sept 1, 2020 9:16:16 GMT -6 phantasm said:

And do you see this occurring in the society you see around you? Do you see the fault lines in society disappearing?

No. I don't in any appreciable manor to be honest. But we haven't had the crisis that would spark that behaviour on a grand scale yet. That's not to say that you don't see some of it surface from time to time though.

As to fault lines in society disappearing. I'm not sure humanity will ever get to that stage in truth. I think perhaps we might get close to it in time, but there is a thin line between utopia and anarchy. I don't think people would like self governing as this could open a can of worms. Who makes the laws? Who enforces them? Would people want to pay tax, or levy if you like to help their communities, health systems, policing, teaching, repairs to infrastructure? If you have a dispute with your neighbours how do you sort it out? There will always be a higher power I believe to moderate these things. Distribution of wealth is a worthy ideal. And I do agree that there are many of the super rich who do not wish to contribute much to society, but some do. Some create decent jobs in the process of gaining their wealth.  Not all. But some. This is not a defence for them. It is just how it is.

There are no easy answers or solutions to societies woes. There would have to be a cataclysmic change in society. There would be pain the like no one have known in recent centuries. 

 

[heartfelt7]

Interesting thread, you two. I have no idea about the future, but if everyone were more interested in history, that would be an education in itself. Native Americans sent their strongest out to hunt for all. In their early tradition, keeping more for yourself was a mental illness. Every religion begins with a type of social, communal sharing, but do the religionists do that? No. Is man civilized yet? I wonder. When civilization began, wars began, taking began, and domination began. I don't see mankind getting out of this "school" anytime soon, but we can individually decide to stop following the herd, be true to ourselves, and as Phantasm said, just live and let live.

[darkness0within]

In truth no one knows what the future might hold heartfelt7. But it is interesting to try and imagine this scenario or that. But it's true I feel that the 'past' can colour the future.

History can be a subjective thing. And many times people of power, and others who want power have picked out what they want that suits their goals and left fundamental truths out of the mix because it does not tally with their needs at the time. Worse. Twisting the truth, or adding blatant lies or omitting historical facts from their version of history. History is a fluid thing it seems and quite a bit of history known might turn out to be untrue. I think it's also true to say there are parts of history perhaps we will never know the truth of.

As I've said elsewhere civilization has a thin veneer, you don't have to scratch too far beneath the surface to find things you don't want to find. I'm sure many would disagree with me, but some will know exactly what I mean. I think we all find it more comforting to think there is order in the chaos. And most times there is. We are all multi faceted beings with the whole gambit of feelings and emotions within us. and dependant on our situation in life, we show this facet or that facet. Most of us are peaceful beings just trying to make the best of life. but not all are like this for whatever reason.

[moseley]

I would love to drop some acid with you and beat the shit out of all the motherfucking label gun syndicate that is responsible for herding the sheeple. There is strength in numbers and there are big numbers in a high snowbank and there is such power to be able to control and direct an avalanche. They have done that. They are trolling the creation of God, potshooting from the shadows and corners but doing nothing good. They are still part of a balance. It may seem perverse at best, but it will only get worse, worse than being a targeted Jew in the sights of the storm Hitler directed...but it is the same mechanism and we have many patterns to follow and do better than the Polpots, Manson's, Stalin's and Hitler's of the past. These sons of bitches are the apt pupils of the patterns drawn before them and they are clouded in some ambrosia notion of utopia that Marx put up as better. I believe you are a Pommie and you have survived through a lens of a far more socialized experience than us Yanks, but inevitably, like the times of Nebuchadnezzar and how Daniel noted the light skinned people who are the idol offered meat were evil, it is just putting a period on a story that began, somewhere,.not far from the Caucasius mountains and the Arayans(think Iran'land of the Arayans' and Farsi and the Avestra and Zoroaster)and it ending like the original Egyptians did to the Nubians. Inevitable. If a hurricane is coming at you, you may know what it is, but when principalities come for you, they may have faces but they have the faces of the sea, of the ocean, and some colors are not welcome in the new "concentration coefficient"
..no decry will fix it, and the resistance is definitely futile,.but for those who have compromised themselves for what they feel is safe....we will be delivered.up by our own, just as the slaves in Africa were betrayed by other Africans....a human by any other color is no less flawed but many of them are just damned tired of never being right...and being right makes privilege...even if that right is a lie no less than the lie that preceded it. The American Indians are probably more of God's people like the Australian aborigines(they have been here the longest in continuity) and somehow we are bothered with something "white" attributed to is, even the palest red haired person is not white....it is then somehow part of the cosmic joke that the Creator made a part of this incarnation and somehow, I think for the purpose of driving us to atonement but instead of going that way, it is the cause of some complete immolation and what we call God is quite good and down with both as this God is quoted by my people, historically, as an all consuming fire and we, being made in this God's image are no less burn notice ready....I speak to this God and laugh and this God hears me and it is not that this God joins in, it is just that I have begun to catch the joke and it is no better than being in the woods naked,holding a wet roll of toilet paper and having unmerciful diarrhea....either you handle it or you don't but by design, it is going to be sofa king messy