Reply
Mon 4 Apr, 2011 05:20 am
Recently, I came across this citation and would like to have your comments on it.
Does it seem accurate to you?
Quote:People love to humiliate each other. They are fools and liars, and will say or do whatever it takes to advance themselves in the world.
They sit, one by one, on their barstolls contemplating the failures of others, nibbling every downfall.
The men are wearing invisible condoms, the women squabbling over who gets the best stem cells.
Electronic clusters of meaningless data force us into positions no one can defend. Immigrants deny they are in exile.
Indians believe in assembling reports on the transparency of defeat.
Scholars are a joke - they poke through the remains of the expedition in search of self-justification.
We know how the universe will end: there will be weeping, of course, contracts will be cancelled, the sun will melt, sweet young people will be fired for no reason, and language will be packed into a baseball-size planet heavier than earth and hurled into the nearest black hole.
Certainly there are people who revel in the downfall of others, and who will take any opportunity to snipe at others. That's no good reason, however, to generalize it to the entire human race. It seems to me that the author is rather a good example of this him- or herself.
@Francis,
I don't agree that people "love to" humiliate others, but I think there is a serious defense mechanism that will drive someone to lash out at others rather than feel the lash themselves. My personal take is that everything in that quote after the first two lines is not worth the light pulses it took to transmit it.
@Francis,
It seems the author is describing him/her self.
BBB
I don't know. Nothing makes me happier than when somebody succeeds at something useful or important to the well-being of themselves or others.
@edgarblythe,
Amen to that. I'll add though that good humour is normally a wee bit mean.
@Ceili,
I was going to say that "it" goes both ways, but, there are really several ways. Look at the interactions on these boards!
I don't agree that people love or even like to humiliate each other. That's quite ridiculous actually. It might be true if you said "some" people, but you can't just say 'people' and expect it to be true. I don't know anyone who likes to humiliate others - well, upon reflection, maybe a couple, way back.
@Francis,
It is a process to set the pecking order. It is done all over in nature.
My comment at work used to be it not how good you are, it how bad you can make your co-workers look that matter.
Thank you all for the precious comments...
The citation was from the New Yorker.
at there best relationships are both conflict and cooperation, however a lot of the conflict is not meant to beat others down, but rather it is a stretching exercise. That is why you will see people who care about each other teasing/harassing/bullying/humiliating but only to the point that they think the other person can handle it. Once it goes to far all such efforts at conflict stop, for the best interests of the other person. People dont love to humiliate as much as they are showing a caring enough about the other person to humiliate them for their own good.
@Mame,
Quote:. It might be true if you said "some" people, but you can't just say 'people' and expect it to be true. I don't know anyone who likes to humiliate others - well, upon reflection, maybe a couple, way back.
We used to see more of it. THis PC enforced niceness produces generally weak individuals though, so it is nothing to cheer.
At first, I thought that part of this referred to me, as I have been known to wear invisible condoms.
But then I remembered that, being invisible I used to forget that it was on, resulting in some memorable experiences when I went to the toilet.
I now stick to the luminous green ribbed variety, which are far more obvious, even in the dark.
Old Goat wrote:resulting in some memorable experiences when I went to the toilet.
That was humiliating, no?
@hawkeye10,
Quote: People dont love to humiliate as much as they are showing a caring enough about the other person to humiliate them for their own good.
Those of us who are older used to know this, back in the day we all knew of people who we knew cared a great deal for each other who bickered all the time. Now when ever people do that we say they are not getting along and so they should separate, and often people do. Moderns have gone stupid, we now think that the opposite of caring for others is conflict, but in reality the opposite of caring is apathy.
Stumble It!
Tweet This
Bookmark on Delicious
Share on Facebook
Share on MySpace