Can I talk to you all about humans for just a moment? Because humans are pretty fucked up. Let's be honest here. This rant starts in the social justice sphere, but it could really have been almost anything that sparked it.
Let me tell you what being human means. If humans were just simple animals, they'd be vicious, omnivorous herd animals, as rape-happy as ducks, and probably cannibals. And they could be safely categorized, divided into groups and herds and subdivided by habit and habitat, all is well, we're done, go home. But that's not how it works. Humans are full to the brim with this dreadful beast called consciousness, this fire of thought which throws wild sparks every which way, every day, in every person. Psychopaths and geniuses, artists and loners and every other one-tenth of any given population of humans who make it impossible to neatly fit humans into types, herds, demographics, or any other benighted thing. That's the human problem: how to reconcile the urge to categorize with its blatant insupportability?
You. Cant. No one can. There aren't enough categories to include everyone and still function. That's why law isn't about justice, why government is about the majority, and why there will always be some reason, somewhere in the world. for people to be offended. What people? Any people. You. Reading this. You'll be offended this year. You may be offended right now.
That's fine. But look--exclusion is the great trap of humanity. The only way out is to, as individuals, be as inclusive as possible. It's hard as hell, it goes against every human instinct. But it can be done. Say to yourself, oh good and noble-hearted humans, "I accept these people and these people and even these really weird people," and then DON'T ADD THE SECOND HALF OF THE SENTENCE. You know the one, the "It's THESE people who don't, or who are the problem, or who already have enough." That part.
Once you've covered that, start on logical fallacies. As people, we all use logical fallacies in our rhetoric, in our thoughts, in our lives. Try not to. Ad hominem is when you attack the person instead of the idea, and it's one of the HUGE ones. The other one that really, really bites good people is Appeal to Emotion--paving over inconsistencies or inadequacies because you feel sorry for someone. It is very, very hard for good people not to do that, or to appreciate good ideas that might come from not-so-great people.
But we have to. Here's why: there are no truly good people. Saints and heroes dissolve under the microscope--all of them, all over the world, all through history. That's humanity for you. Humans are filthy creatures, brimming with cess and hate, battling every day even to achieve basic mediocrity. Those who manage, for even a few moments, to choke back their seething bullshit long enough to cough up something worthwhile, are doing good work. At least for that moment. So keep the idea, okay? Because we're all assholes most of the time. We're all guilty. This too is inclusion.
And lastly, on the path to Being a Better Human: distrust anything that makes you too comfortable. Anything. A god. A friend. A lover. A way of life. An ideal. If it makes you feel one hundred percent good about yourself, either it is flawed or, more likely, you aren't doing as good a job as you think you are. Distrust rhetoric, including this rhetoric. Question everything, but question yourself first, and never be satisfied too long with your answer. At twenty, you should cringe at ten. At thirty, you should cringe at twenty....but be proud of these ages, too, because they are leading you in the right direction. Then at forty, cringe at thirty. And so on. At ninety, cringe at eighty.
And always remember: be proud of your progress, but don't EVER be satisfied with where you are. If you're happy with yourself, totally sure that you are doing well and are a good person, check your work. You've fucked up somewhere--someone is being unfairly excluded, or you're too damn comfortable, or you decided not to take the next step because it's unpleasant and hard.
That's okay. We're all fuckups. We're all hateful, hurtful, guilty people. Keep working at it. That's what it means to be human.
blakekathryn
andulkaphoto
pixelskylines
romaincrisis
