Confession
- Thread starter Dr. Jones
- Start date
If hypocrisy is his viewpoint, please don't bash it. It's offensive. No punching down for you mister.
I was speaking hypothetically about what my reaction would be when having to deal with people who call me out for my humor. And the one I described would be feeling urged to insult you even more in a subtle way to also avoid having to deal with the result of it but having the satisfaction of sticking it to you.
I can't honestly understand how you can project mormon stereotypes in a way that you are offended by it. And you clearly are by your reaction. The sadness is just a result of that.
Hantlers
Well-Known Member
According to you it shouldn't matter who has the viewpoint. But you're still not answering the question…you're just avoiding and spinning.
You came in here and said that mocking polygamy (and Mormonism) was wrong, and offensive. You then said that it is ok to mock Christianity because it is a viewpoint. If Christianity is a viewpoint, then polygamy (and Mormonism) must also be a view point.
Why is it ok to mock one of these and not the other? Perhaps you could try a direct answer instead of avoiding this time.
Oh, b_line, why be both ignorant and rude? Was it really that hard for you to anser the question, and see why it invalidated Hantlers' 7th sentence?
Maybe we're talking about different notions of "offended". I'm generally offended by marginalizing stereotypes of any sort. I don't need to be female to express my disapproval at sexism, nor gay to express my disapproval of homophobia, nor elderly to express my disapproval of ageism, etc. I don't need to project myself into being female, gay, old, etc. to feel that sort of offense.
As for whence the sadness comes, I know what I would explain it as (the disconnect between the real and the ideal), but who knows if I'm lying to myself about that?
As usual, you see trees but no forest. So, let me be clear: I have no issue with people mocking the viewpoint that polygamy is an acceptable or desireable lifestyle. For all your earlier comment on my reading ability, it's amusing that you missed the obvious: PKM did not mock the viewpoint of polygamy in his OP, and his remarks were addressed to people who don't believe in polygamy. Your questions were not relevant to this discussion because you understood neither the original post nor my responses.
This is true.. sort of. I was not mocking believers in Polygamy, but just a dumb joke in the general sense. But I also was not addressing non-polygamists, as I did not even think of my post being offensive in any way.. but rather just kind of funny.
So.... rep to whomever can quote the post that started this drivel.
I totally understand that mocking is not everybody's type of humor. But it's one of the oldest reported types of humor. So I understand that it comes natural to a lot of people from a young age, including me. Ever seen a young kid showing Schadenfreude? Read the Jahlil Okafor story with him ridiculing his mom while she was dieing? Most of the people that show this don't mean it personally and aren't serious about what they say. They say something because it triggers their sense for humor. Just look at colton's story. That reaction leaves multiple interpretations and one is highly offensive. Yet I bet a lot of Mexicans would laugh about it.
I understand that if you were ever a victim of religious prosecution in a non provoked situation that you definately have a right to complain about it. In fact I wouldn't pull such a joke in front of you if I knew about such a situation connected to you or a close relative. But stereotypes and experiencing harm are two totally different things.
I have no problem with some types of mockery. It's possible to be funny mocking rapists, but not rape victims. Men, but not women. The wealthy, but not the poor. The general concept is called "punching up" (mocking those with societal advantages) versus "punching down". Part fo the reason is that punching up tends to go against the cultural context, while punching down usually reinforces it.
This is OT, but this post made me feel the need to share as it is loosely related.
I have gone several 'missions.' Not of the LDS multi-year variety, but rather just a few weeks at a time. Each time before I go, I think to myself how much I should be able to 'help' the people I'm going to visit. Each time I am again humbled that they gave me more than I could have ever given them.
While I had money to offer and some care and concern, as well.. I was severely lacking, in comparison to them, in what they could unintentionally teach me.
I could hand someone a hundred dollars for groceries (which to me was somewhat meaningless in the grand scheme of things), but I would witness an entire family pooling ALL of the food they could gather to welcome us and thank us for visiting... not knowing, nor worrying about, where the next meal would come from.
What I saw every time were a people happier than I was. More 'blessed' than I have ever been. I learned much from them.. and have forgotten too many of those lessons having been re-subjected to American measures of 'happiness.'
So as we're punching up or down, perhaps we think in terms of happiness and sadness vs. rich or poor, fat or skinny..