Terry
One question and then I will leave it...................Why didnt you title your thread 'Are we DESTROYING society through POLITICAL CORRECTNESS'?
Are we DESTROYING society through a false sense of SELF-ESTEEM
by Terry 84 Replies latest jw friends
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Alwayshere
Who cares how they are destroyed as long as they are.
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Terry
One question and then I will leave it...................Why didnt you title your thread 'Are we DESTROYING society through POLITICAL CORRECTNESS'?
The irreducible primary of the topic is Self-Esteem. A false sense of Self-esteem to be precise. The consequence of a false sense of self-esteem is the destruction of society through the erosion of standards and consciousness of defintions.
The aspect of Political Correctness is a sidebar.
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fifi40
What a load of twaddle
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Anti-Christ
I lived and are living the consequences of a warped sense of self -esteem influence by my environment.
Political correctness bothers me because there is some kind of double standard. You can tell someone that their are small or skinny but you can't tell someone their overweight but being overweight is a lot more damaging for someones health. That is just one example.
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Quentin
Great numbers of people suffer daily from low self-estem, or worse, no self-estem period. They are beat to their knees with an unrelenting barrage of not measuring up, can't get it done, your too stupid, on and on it goes. In marriages, families, on the job, in school...every where, every day...pummeled with not being good enough to count.
When they go breserk, shoot up a mall, or McDonalds we wring our hands and wonder why. Changing the lanuage will not solve the problem....social engineering in schools will not solve the problem...it's there, it's ugly and reaches into every thread of society....
And no, I don't have the answers, but I do see the monster, up close and personel....I think too, some of you would just as soon be blind as as a bat. Keeps you warm and fuzzy at night....
Quentin....who drags a box car of twaddle around daily......
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fifi40
Quentin
What you have posted is exactly what I am saying...........low self esteem is a huge problem to society.........neglect and abuse of kids creates adults with no sense of their own worth, the effects are obvious and huge.
What I call Twaddle is this yoyo of meaning and subject matter that Terry pontificates about in this thread, all loosely based around a 'false sense of self esteem'.........now wait a minute I mean Politcal Correctness..............no actually I did mean a false sense of self esteem........ and the 'DESTROYING of society' that this results in. I think the term 'DESTROYING society' is way to dramatic and is actually false itself.
I agree political correctness is a pain in the arse............and I have a term for the people who promote this 'Yoghurt Knitters' (kinda similar to Do Gooders at all costs).
But on this occasion (and its rare) I think Terrys argument and reasoning is there to be shot at!
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cognizant dissident
If I'm a lousy dancer and somebody tells me I'm a lousy dancer they are not calling into question my right to live. They aren't saying I shouldn't associate with people who can dance superbly. There is no existentialist crisis at all! The reality would be that I'm a lousy dancer and realize it and so do others who are willing to say so.
"Lousy" is just the subjective opinion of the person doing the labeling. Someone else may find your dancing delightful. Even if a majority agree that your dancing is "lousy", does a majority opinion make something "reality". Why is their "reality" more valid than the minority who find your dancing "delightful".
Should I be unaware of my dancing ability (as sooooo many people are about their ineptitudes) and actually think I'm pretty darn good----plus + people are unwilling to hurt my feelings by telling me the truth.......IS THAT BENEFICIAL TO ME or NOT?
If you enjoy the activity of dancing and are unaware and more importantly, unconcerned about the opinions of others about your dancing, then it would be beneficial to you as it brings enjoyment to your life and is a good form of exercise. If your only goal is public accolades and you enjoy them even insincerely given, then again you have achieved the goal you set for yourself. If your goal is external validation, only sincerely given, than the goal itself is not benefical to you, irrespective of your dancing abilities because you staken your happiness and self-esteem upon the vagaries of others' subjective opinions which are fleeting and changing.
If I think I'm already good--why would I endeavor to try and IMPROVE?
Have you ever considered the idea that it is not always necessary to improve. That you can enjoy self-esteem while honestly knowing you are not the best dancer?
People with organic, physical or mental problems probably can't do things the rest of us find easy to do. Praising their efforts is a wonderful thing. But--telling them that is all we expect (effort) and equating that with actually mastering the deed which cannot be done (because of the infirmity) is simply a confusion at best and outright misrepresentation at worst.
For many people in society, "effort" is all we expect from those with physical or mental challenges. If they are truly incapable of mastering the deed, wouldn 't it be absurdity on our part to expect them to do so?
You have yet to demonstrate how lousy dancers who think they are good enough to please themselves or physically and mentally challenged individuals associating with more able peers in the classroom "destroys" society in any way. You have yet to come right out and state what your lofty goal for society is Terry. Are you suggesting that society should not "esteem" the efforts and abilities of others whatever the limits of their capabilities may be? How will society be saved by devaluing the contributions of all its members because their "best" was good enough to meet your arbitrary "standards".
However, the damage it does (granting permission from others to view an inability as a King's X accomplishment) is the damage of UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES.
It is no more damaging, nor inaccurate, to view the few words uttered correctly by a child with a major speech impediment as a major (King's X) accomplishment as it is to view the masterpiece written by a gifted writer as one. It is all relative.
Calling a spade a spade is correctly identifying what something is by comparing it against a normative standard.
For those who, in spite of best efforts, fall below "normative standards", should they not have self-esteem for themselves as they are in reality? How would their valuing their life and accomplishments, such as they are, below standards, destroy society?
If we distort our standard and grant special terminology to bypass what is real and true---what happens? (Calling a spade a club!)
THIS IS MY PREMISE: What happens when we distort our standards of truth or reality is that we erode consciousness of things.If you are referring to the special terminology for the disabled that you spoke of earlier, this terminology actually raises consciousness by describing more accurately what is real for those it is applied to.
What does Political Correctness destroy? The currency of social values (what is acceptable for all rather than what is for a select few.)
We become---as a group---guility of Counterfeiting our values collectively!Terry, you say that like it's a bad thing! Perhaps we learn to substitute a better social currency than the one which society has heretofore valued, ie love, acceptance, compassion as being of greater value than achievement. Better still, love, compassion and equanimity may just be societies greatest achievements.
Once we destroy the bedrock of social values (standards) the slide into chaos, underachievement and fecklessness runs riot.
You have provided no sound evidence for this claim, just sweeping generalizations
Once upon a time, after a stage performance, an audience which had been entertained to the point of overwhelming enthusiasm could communicate its approval to the performers by giving a STANDING OVATION. This was the ultimate---the supreme accolade a performer could gauge his/her performance by.
But now? In Fort Worth--no matter who does what on stage there is a perfunctory "standing ovation" which follows!
The currency of audience approval and communication has been destroyed as a validation superlative.
There is not good, better, best.
This is Political Correctness at work.
The musician wouldn't necessarily become more talented or become a better performer just because the audience held back their standing ovation. Perhaps those standing truly were delighted by the performance even if you were not. No one is forcing them to stand. You can still choose to protest by sitting down. Maybe a few more will join you. Either way, this situation is hardly destroying society as we know it.
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cognizant dissident
What I call Twaddle is this yoyo of meaning and subject matter that Terry pontificates about in this thread, all loosely based around a 'false sense of self esteem'.........now wait a minute I mean Politcal Correctness..............no actually I did mean a false sense of self esteem........ and the 'DESTROYING of society' that this results in. I think the term 'DESTROYING society' is way to dramatic and is actually false itself.
Precisely, fifi. Terry's logic has so many holes in it, if it were a piece of Swiss Cheese it would be invisible!
Terry, JWD "society" has spoken and found your arguments to be sub-standard! Hopefully your self-esteem won't be too crushed!