Are we DESTROYING society through a false sense of SELF-ESTEEM

by Terry 84 Replies latest jw friends

• 

  John Doe

  So, hiding your brains becomes social survival!

  I've always been of the firm opinion that more effort needs to be put into programs for the gifted. One major problem with this is public support. Football games draw interest and participation from the lay parents, chess games do not.

  I think we've all seen a prejudice against intelligence. "That girl may be book smart, but she hasn't got a lick of common sense." "What a geek! I'm glad I've got a life!" Etc.

  While there is a popular aversion to intelligence, I find it interesting that you talk about dumbing down being a social survival skill. That's not necessarily a bad thing. We all do this to one extent or another. When we talk about something we are more familiar with than the person to which we are speaking is, we do not use the same language we would if we were talking to a fellow enthusiast. This facilitates communication, but doesn't denigrate intelligence. Now, you might say this gives the less knowledgeable person a false sense of self esteem. I don't agree in most cases. Doctors speaking Latin to patients would serve little to no useful purpose. The people, in the end, would have gained nothing they didn't have or know before the conversation took place. However, dumbing down the language to the words a common man uses facilitates understanding and puts the doctor and patient, not on a level playing field, but on a mutually beneficial one.

  I think the same principle exists when people with vastly different intelligence levels communicate. If done tactfully, the less intelligent person never realizes they were being spoken down to. That's a great "social survival skill," and not necessarily bad. Well, I've rambled incoherently for long enough. I need to get ready for work.
• 

  LongHairGal

  I think I understand where Terry is coming from and I don't think he is trying to be 'Hitlerish'. We are living in a world of hypocrisy where people are playing a game of 'The Emperor's New Clothes' in everything. The emperor is naked but everybody is pretending he is wearing a fine outfit.

  I have felt for the longest time that we are being sacrificed on an altar of political correctness. I am wondering if the fictional story 'Atlas Shrugged' isn't becoming reality. In this nightmare world, capability is actually punished where the capable person is forced to continue in order to carry the incapable or lazy. What happened was that capable persons actually dropped out of society because they couldn't take it anymore.

  Because people in our pathetic society are driven by appearances I don't really see an end to this trend.

  LHG
• 

  mrsjones5

  By treating the autistic, mongoloid or otherwise impaired child as being on the same educational level as those unimpaired by physical or mental defect (you can't even use the word "defect") the philosophical implications multiply.

  I'm sorry but I'm having a bit of a problem with that sentence up there. I'll try not to take it personally.

  My youngest son (age 4) had been diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (a kind of blanket term that means "we don't really know what it wrong with your kid but something is"), my doctor thinks he might have Fragile X Syndrome but we have to get the blood test done to confirm it (not looking forward to it). My son is in a early childhood program with our school district that is geared towards children like him. The program is there to help these kids get to the level of being ready for kindergarten, they will not move on to kindergarten unless they are ready to do so. My kid has been in the program for the last 2 years and he one more to go. The progress has been amazing. He can read, write words, put together very detailed puzzles, he's talking more, asking for things, saying niceties like "excuse me" and "thank you". He's coming along. I don't want him placed in kindergarten if he's not ready and I'm sure the school district doesn't want this either.

  Josie
• 

  journey-on

  The destruction of achievement-oriented society is a slow poison.
  

  When NEED is broken free from achievement and talent and hard work are punished---the Anti-Intellectual turns the evolutionary imperative upside down!

  Survival of the fittest becomes survival by penalty to the fittest.

  It has just occurred to me, however, that where evolution is concerned, perhaps what we think is "the fittest" is misleading. Evolution is more

  than physical and mental. We also use our emotions and spirituality in the evolutionary process. Perhaps by levelling the playing field to some

  degree in particular areas, we are actually advancing our evolution toward something higher than just a physical/mental organism. If you base achievement only on

  these parameters and leave out the more altruistic emotional and spiritual aspect, you might actually be hindering a necessary part of our evolution.

  Part of what you state in your original topic post denigrates intuition and what you call "mystical" thinkers putting them in a dichotomous position

  to clear communicators and thinkers. I think this is wrong. They are not necessarily polar opposites like the other comparisons you list. As a matter

  of fact, my own studies give me a strong indication that rather than classifying some of these difficult areas as nonsensical or inappropriate, the

  true scientist, the seeker, will allow him/herself to expand their frame of reference that enables one to examine without bias the evolutionary ramifications of

  intuition, conscious intention, and multisensory experiences.

  If you look at the Big Picture, there will always be high achievers and goal-oriented people regardless of society's attempt to mediocritize people.

  And, by the same token, you will always have those low on the totem pole. The human species should be looked at holistically when considering your statement

  highlighted in yellow above. What I'm saying in all this rambling is that, although the attempt to give everybody a sense of self-esteem by creating a society of

  mediocrity is anathema to my personal viewpoint, in actuality, in certain particular areas this altruistic flag ("the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few")

  may be advancing a portion of our necessary evolution for survival by thus removing some of the prejudice and barriers that separate and cause conflict and discord.
• 

  llbh

  Political correctness is a waste of time it , because it limits our freedom to speak.

  We should though be very sensitive to people and not be rude about them

  To join together self esteem and political correctness is to conflate two different things

  Self esteem is very important and one of the greatest gifts you can make to individuals.

  Regards David
• 

  milligal

  I agree with what I think is the idea behind what you are saying-survival of the fittest is as it should be, but I don't believe it's based on a false sense of self esteem. I think it's based on no accountability and laziness. Everywhere you go people just don't give a rat's ass anymore. Low work ethic, low standards, low accountability.

  My son is an Asperger's boy (highly functioning autistic) I can tell you this kid would set the standard instead of taking any handouts. He has a genious level IQ and he works everyday all summer long on math and reading where he had to catch up in school. He is now three grade levels ahead in these areas. Social skills for him are like learning chemistry for us, but he nevers gives up. He has learned by wrote, what certain mannerisms mean, and when he has to walk away from someone. He doesn't understand why, he just knows that it's what he is supposed to do-that's where hard work has gotten him.

  In my opinion it's not about people lowering standards for political correctness, people have lowered standards because of their own laziness.

  By the way....it is now thought that people such as Einstein and Da Vinci were highly functioning autistic individuals not to mention Bill Gates the founder of Microsoft. These individuals have been the leaders in our society-us so-called 'normal' people have been their followers, they deserve credit for that.
• 

  Terry

  Hmm, but isn't that it; trying to change the course of the outcome by installing some ideal that 'losing' can be just as good as winning? But in truth, can't it be? Eh, in the end I think such things like 'political correctness' comes from the outstanding idea that there are other ways of looking at things and other people outside of the mainstream; but to lose a sense of standards in order to view differences or other ways should not be the price for conscious awareness.

  When losing is the same as winning--then..day becomes night, black becomes white and wrong becomes right.

  The destruction of our consciousness is complete.
• 

  fifi40

  I dont think telling someone with no legs, someone who has a severe disfigurment, who has dyslexia, who is blind, deaf or just plain stupid that they are okay is wrong..............I guess it depends on what you mean by okay..............I am sure that anyone of the above is fully aware of the differences between themselves and those who do not suffer with same impediment.

  Are they okay............can they still love and be loved...............can they still work hard and achieve things.

  Should we cater for the needs of any of the above by providing parking that makes it easier for them to access the store......God forbid I dont mind the extra walk and I certainly dont begrudge disabled people the provision made for them.

  I undertsand the slight on political correctness but it concerns me more that its wrong for our kids to learn baa baa black sheep or for the teacher to use the black board.

  All should be encouraged whatever their personal circunstances..........encouragement and love should start with the parents..........self esteem is only about accepting and valuing oneself, no matter what your circumstances.................and being productive and acheiving are only part of the equation.
• 

  fifi40

  If we really lived in a society where winning was the same as losing we wouldnt be paying footballers thousands of pounds a week!!!!
• 

  sammielee24

  A FALSE sense.....of self-esteem.

  Which can only be relatively speaking. A persons sense of self esteem is at times based on his/her own relevancy and contribution to the task at hand regardless of how others might judge it. A lack of self esteem can just as equally be the result of those same 'others' judging people based only on their own abilities/capabilities/morals etc not taking into account the limitations of the individual.

  I understand the basis of your question. sammieswife.