Posted by
atomicturtle on Saturday, June 02, 2007 6:03:33 PM
You ever think that people who are considered jerks are considered jerks because they're moral? That, really, they're not jerks at all - rather, that the rest of the world simply doesn't like people with strong convictions about what's right and what's wrong, with the brass to stand up for it, and the brainpower to defend it?
Forgive me if I sound conceited here, but I suspect that a lot of people are intimidated by me (though you'll find very very few who'd readily admit it). Mostly because I really really really know my stuff and because I will take apart someone's argument piece by piece until they have nothing left. And that scares the hell out of them, because they are terrified of having nothing left. What are they supposed to believe in if what they believed in has been systematically and completely refuted? People don't like that.
My mother (a Christian and a Bush-supporter) said to me the other day, "You know why people hate Christianity and George Bush? Sure, they might articulate some specific reasons - the war, the economy, bad priests, etc - but I think the real root of their hate comes from the fact that we're so certain about our beliefs and our actions. You'd probably call that dogmatism because it's faith-based belief [and she's right, I would], but the point is, it's not the results of our faith that people hate, it's our commitment to it in the face of their own insecurity."
And I think she made a really good point. People, on the whole, are stupid. They fumble their way through life maybe kicking up an indignant fuss every now and then, but basically adhering to the maxim that 'ignorance is bliss.' They WANT to be ignorant. Don't believe me? Find your average run-of-the-mill abortion supporter and sit her down to watch a sonogram and then an abortion - watch as she averts her eyes. They don't want to know. Knowing means having to re-evaluate everything you once stood for. And that's scary. People are insecure about that. People like to think they have a pretty good handle on the world around them, so they get really defensive when anybody starts shaking the snowglobe. They don't want to hear the facts, they don't want to see the reality, they just want to believe what they believe unchallenged. They want to live in non-absolutism - in "the gray area" (while ignoring the fact that the existence of gray necessitates the existence of black and white) because the gray area is "safe". Anything goes in the "gray area". They want to row their little boat in as calm a sea as they can, so they absolutely resent it when someone comes around and kicks up a wave by saying, "No sir, your belief/lifestyle/ideology is WRONG."
They'll initially argue with you, trying to salvage their own incorrect belief however they can - but remember, these are willfully ignorant people who have voluntarily chosen to AVOID knowing anything that might interfere with their happy little existence. They can't win. They simply don't have the means to do it, and even if they do, they either don't have the guts to stand up for themselves (standing up for yourself means risking ostracism) or they don't have the conviction to put the effort into proving - factually, logically, rationally - why they're right.
So then they start calling you names and/or demonizing you. And this isn't merely an emotional response to the situation - they do it on purpose and with a very specific reason: so that they can dismiss you and whatever you have to say, regardless of its validity or soundness. Why do you think people like comparing their opponents to Hitler? Hitler was a raving madman and an evildoer. Liken your opponent to Hitler and you can say, "Why should I listen to this guy? He's just like Hitler!" Completely fallacious, sure - but logic isn't exactly these guys' guiding star.
This is why I don't respond when people start calling me names or demonizing my character. I know what they're trying to do, so I don't let them do it. I just keep pressing them. And maybe I don't change THEIR mind, but they're the ones that have to look at themselves in the mirror know and wondering if that "jerk" was right. As does anyone else that might have been listening to us. And if they don't, then they have to look at themselves in the mirror and know that they're closed-minded and ignorant. But hey, some people prefer the life of being an intellectual fraud I guess.
And yes, sometimes I'm wrong. I'm human (*sigh*), I make mistakes. But I LIKE the waves. If I make a mistake, by all means, correct me. Fix my contradictions by identifying the false premise or incorrect logical step I made. I care only about being right, so I'm quite happy to find out when I'm wrong - but, of course, I will not respond to anything but reason. I don't care about your feelings, I don't care about your emotional response, I don't care about your gut instincts on a subject. You can't pull on my heartstrings, and you can't appeal to my non-existent sense of pity or empathy. I can't be guilted, I can't be shamed, I can't be demonized, and I can't be insulted. No one will EVER win an argument against me that way. Not ever. The people who have to resort to that show only that they don't have the rational faculty to refute me.
If that makes me an jerk, then fine. Whatever. I can handle that. If knowing right from wrong, if having the guts to stand up for it, and having the intelligence to defend it makes a person an jerk, then go ahead and call me one. Popular opinion has always meant precisely squat to me - especially if it comes at the cost of being righteous and having conviction in my righteousness.