Unanswered Question: Doesn’t tolerance and inclusion require ‘connection’?

On 03/16/2023 By Susan St.PierreIn In my humble opinion..., Unanswered Questions6 Comments

Some comments strike me as odd. Then I wonder, am I ‘further evolved’ or are others just ‘devolving’?

Usually my “Unanswered Question” posts are inspired by something I see or read. Today it was something I happened to read.
A blogger was discussing her new ‘Mental Health Therapy’ and admitted that she’d already doubted it would work for her because the therapist is a man. That struck me as odd but clearly an ‘in vogue’ viewpoint. Immutable traits are now given an awful lot of attention.

Last night, I also heard about medical universities, in an effort of “inclusion”, suggesting everyone should be treated by physicians and surgeons who are the same race and gender as the patient. As someone who had long ago become ‘blind’ to people’s immutable traits, I again wondered, “Am I the oddball?”. Doesn’t everyone want skilled professionals treating them? What does skin color or gender or sexual orientation have to do with that?

The worst part of my stream of thought was realizing that the modern day ‘sifting and sorting’ of people into groups is ultimately affecting me too. I don’t like it!
I’ve long admired Douglas Murray for his intellect and confidence. Recently, it came to my attention that he’s gay. “Ugh, so what?” was my first thought. Another person I’ve admired and enjoyed listening to is Rick Grennell, who was our ambassador to Germany and acting DNI during the Trump administration. He’s also been identified as gay. Those two fine intelligent men were already on my most admired list. Again, I thought, “What difference is knowing their sexuality supposed make? “

Richard Grennell

Then, it happened! I was trying to recall something brilliant that Douglas Murray had said, and my mind injected the thought, “You know. That Gay intellectual you admire.” Not only was I surprised, but I was also disgusted. The widespread superficial ‘labeling virus’ had infected me.

Douglas Murray

All this ‘intersectionality’ crap is counterproductive to unity to say the least. Worse, is the total lack of self-awareness those who are tossing it around have. The same people who keep suggesting that everyone needs to be more tolerant and inclusive, clearly want to emphasize our ‘unimportant differences’ to a point that no one pays attention to our ‘important gifts and talents and similarities’.

Doesn’t tolerance and inclusion require ‘connection’? Our humanity is already our connection to each other and the only one we ought to pay attention to, IMHO. Those suggesting we need to pay a great deal of attention to anything else, are not at all trying to unify people. Their underlying purpose clearly is to segregate us and they’re doing well now that they can infect the minds of those who have already further evolved.

Thinking Isn’t Hard but Speaking Is- Food for Thought

On 10/16/202210/16/2022 By Susan St.PierreIn In my humble opinion...8 Comments

Have you ever examined how few concepts have true opposites? Except for the colors black and white, with the condition of ‘white’ being the reflection of all color and ‘black’ oppositely absorbing all color, I cannot think of any. Even our concept of the commonly accepted opposites of ‘up’ and ‘down’ is relative. In outer space, there’s no clarity of where ‘up’ or ‘down’ lie.
Yet, nowadays, there are some extremely loud people insisting that we consider most concepts and conditions as binary opposites:

If you question the rate or severity of Climate Change, you’re labeled as a Climate Change ‘denier’.
If you show concern about future unknown side effects or the efficacy of the mRNA ‘vaccines’, you’re an ‘anti-vaxxer’.
If you worry about the growing trend of impressionable children identifying as transgender, it’s suggested (by loudmouths) that you want to deny their existence… or even worse ‘hate’ them.
If you want a secure border, you’re either xenophobic or monstrously insensitive to the plight of migrants.

There are sadly too many more to list, but these are enough to give anyone with the capacity for reason pause.
I want to know why we allow these absurd reductive labels to occupy any adult conversation.

I regret having to say this but that intellectually lazy either/or ‘reasoning’ predominantly is coming from folks who claim to be the smartest and most tolerant. {News Flash- If you need to claim you’re smart and/or tolerant, you probably are neither in practice.}

We most likely can agree that words and phrases can have more than one definition. So, why are so many people defaulting to the idea that ALL “arguments” are something so negative that they need to be avoided? Are they ignorant of the courtroom definition of “A line of reasoning.”?
If Americans truly revere the “scientific method” as the ultimate formula for finding facts and approaching Truth, why is there so much effort being directed toward reducing speech and inquiry?
These are points and questions that I hope all well-meaning people will consider. This post consists of questions and hypotheses rather than statements for a reason. I’m offering an argument as “food for thought” and not at all trying to start an argument. 😉

Pay Attention but Mind Your Own Business

On 08/08/202108/08/2021 By Susan St.PierreIn In my humble opinion...5 Comments

My schedule has changed a bit so my weekends are relatively ‘blogging free’. During that time, my inquisitive mind is usually playing with ideas. One thing that has perplexed (even irritated ) me lately, is the amount of outspoken time people seem to use critiquing what everyone else is doing, or the irritating part, voicing what others SHOULD be doing.

In the United States, the comforts and relative safety we enjoy has offered many the luxury to be ‘nosy’. I’ve always said that people who are struggling to feed and protect themselves from imminent danger, on a daily basis, would not be likely to spare the time for “Saving The Whales” or worrying about personal pronouns. So, it takes a bit of affluence to take on societal and philosophical crusades.

If the U.S. hadn’t become a super power and a country with an economic ‘cushion’, its ability to render the assistance needed to stop Hitler would have been zero. So, getting involved can absolutely be a positive, at least as a country. (Even that can be overdone though.)

But back to people, the less they have to do, the more likely they are to stick their noses where they don’t belong. Add to that, a culture that doesn’t value everyone as intellectual equals unless they have credentials or status, and you get groups who actually convince themselves that ‘they alone’ know the ‘good’, ‘virtuous’, and ‘proper’ way for EVERYONE to behave. That, initially well-intended, attitude doesn’t take much of a nudge to become one of totalitarian control. And, unless you live in a cave, you can see the fist of big government tightening around Lady Liberty’s throat.

There’s a great saying; “What others think of me is none of my business.”. I believe that’s a freeing and confident philosophy. It works well except when people start forcing and imposing themselves on others. I never thought in our beautiful, free, society that holding an opinion that is distasteful to a small group of more powerful people, would EVER be grounds for being fired (even arrested). What has happened?!

We’re currently in the clutches of bigoted, intolerant, fascistic, and incompetent ‘elites’. Actual TV faux journalists have called for those who disagree with them to be ‘reeducated’ .
People are scrambling to ‘virtue signal’, some of them think they’ll be spared the weight of the elite mob in doing so, but they’re wrong. (German citizens tried hanging signs on their businesses that said “Aryan Owned” and still had them burned.) This will not end well. The powerful are emboldened to a point where they no longer even try to hide their condescension for their citizens and workers.
Our Constitution, based on individual liberty, is being disregarded and shredded. Our unelected bureaucracies, a handful of companies, intelligence agencies, and Universities are imposing their will on a population that has sadly relinquished their own power to stop them.

The new Nosy Types are the minions of the runaway controlling ‘elites’, and some don’t even know it. It’s YOU I’m addressing in this post. It’s not your business to scorn, shame, and cancel anyone and when you do, you’re working for bringing our Free Country down.
If you’re doing it intentionally, HOW DARE YOU!
If you’re doing it to ‘help’, please stop it. You’re not our parents.
If you’re minding your own business just trying to ‘live and let live’, HIGH FIVE … let’s join hands and give those ‘elites’ the ‘boot’. 😉

SoCS March 21,2020 You’re Welcome…Shut up.

On 03/21/202003/21/2020 By Susan St.PierreIn Writing PromptsLeave a comment

Your Friday prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is “welcome.” Use it any way you’d like. Have fun!

The number of folks telling others what they should or shouldn’t post on social media during our current “situation” has me more alarmed than the virus.

In our innovative, free, country, according to some, opinion isn’t welcome. The sensitivity factor of others had already thrust political correctness upon us. Today, a few folks seem to think that they ought further the “virtue signaling” control on free speech. We are in the midst of a shared experience and they know how each individual ought to behave.

I’ve seen many comments proposing no “negativity”. I actually understand the tension inspiring this but who do you think you are?! And, what the heck does negativity mean?
Our country was founded on individuality. Opinion is allowed… I like to encourage it. Fewer people would suggest an individual’s handling of grief has a universal code of ethics than there are suggesting they know what our country needs in this moment.
Shut up.
Kindly speak only for yourselves… or not. I am capable of ignoring you once I’ve had my own say.
Opinions are ideas and ideas are what we need. Nobody ever suggested you have to like the ideas but there is a thing called personal responsibility. You are responsible for your own emotional reflex to what others say. Telling people not to speak, or shaming them for expressing themselves, is unacceptable. Take up knitting or something. Probably, discussion isn’t for you. That’s okay.
I watched “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood” last night. I not only enjoyed it, I was inspired by it. Of all the heartwarming messages, the one about people talking about their feelings without shame was the best. Division is caused by distance. Distance is caused by the loss of free communication. Those spouting that anything that “disturbs” them personally is divisive to the masses are sorely misunderstanding individualism and our country’s founding principles.
Let’s become more tolerant and welcoming. Listening is far better than reacting. Disagreeing is better than shaming and, more welcoming, than imposing our sensitivities upon others.
You can block posts… you can “unfollow” people… you can even shut off your computer… those are your “nice” choices.
IMHO… you aren’t helping others by attempting to direct their behavior. It annoys them too. This is America.

I recommend you watch that movie.
You’re welcome.
Have a nice day.

Hot Tomatoes

On 10/10/201210/10/2012 By Susan St.PierreIn In my humble opinion...8 Comments

I’m sure you have heard the statement,”It’s all in your head.” It’s a common phrase which begs for the answer,”What’s your point?”.

Psychology doesn’t always explain everything and our taste buds are a fine example.

When I was a child, I used to watch my sister gobble the garden-fresh fruit of the tomato plant with a passion. One summer, she consumed enough of them to break out in hives. They became forbidden to her for much of that season. I ,on the other hand (or tongue), could not stand their taste. I practiced taking bites of the eye-appealing delicacy, with the same intoxicated look that my sister always had, only to retch and spit it out.

I finally found them palatable when they were hot. My “tomato war” lasted many years until I had one on a hamburger. I was in my teens and rejoiced that I could finally taste the “good” in them. You may think rejoicing is a bit “over the top” but my silent war with my taste buds was a bitter one. All that time, I did enjoy ketchup and other tomato products but never tomato juice or fresh fruit.

I have had a similar struggle with carrots. It was in an opposite delivery. Cooked carrots ruined many a stew for me yet eating them raw has always been one of my favorite snacks.

The varied tastes people have, scientifically, must have to be from our individual abilities to taste chemicals that are present. I’ve read that some of us(me included) cannot enjoy a glass of orange juice when it immediately follows brushing our teeth. Others have no idea what we are experiencing. This would be one of those,”It’s all in your head.” moments from their perspective. My answer is,”Where ever it comes from, it remains yucky!”

When realizing how varied peoples tasting skills are, it makes me all the wiser when it comes to tolerance of their ideas. How varied we are in experiences and views! It is very exasperating when someone cannot seem to grasp what you are saying. It would be easy to call them dumb or stubborn and sometimes that is exactly what they are. But, I propose we all keep our taste buds in mind the next time we connect with people. There are many ways to “taste” life. None of them are wrong but they are, oh, so varied.