tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2222630007427380394.post1725947343068671252..comments2023-12-20T04:18:41.617-06:00Comments on The Hunting of the Snark: Power And ObedienceSusan of Texashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00076915322771385454noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2222630007427380394.post-47939949144752029222012-02-24T21:03:05.156-06:002012-02-24T21:03:05.156-06:00I disagree on one little niggley point -- just bec...I disagree on one little niggley point -- just because little red devils with pitchforks have not yet been collected and preserved, ["pressed devil collection," soon to replace etchings. Heh.] doesn't mean that there is no demonic activity in the world. There's no such thing as a whirlpool, I can't buy one and have it lodged in the garden as I would a granite boulder. Yet people still fall into whirlpools and drown.<br /><br />By which I mean, the currents of society which separate people from the fruits of their own hands, reduce them to objects whose value is assigned by others, smother them in nonsense till they cannot escape the whirlpool of tricks and traps -- there dwells the demonic. There, and especially in the people who adjust the river bed to create more and bigger whirlpools, so they may sit on the grassy bank above the swimmers and sip their cocktails.Noni Mausahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11198589990083966806noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2222630007427380394.post-25255983136658996152012-02-24T14:47:59.277-06:002012-02-24T14:47:59.277-06:00If they can make you dance like a puppet, then of ...If they can make you dance like a puppet, then of course they will, but there are ways to avoid the power struggles you describe. Children will always test the limits, but it takes two to make it a struggle. A child wants and needs answers and reasons, even when their behavior is irrational. They don't want a fight any more than the parent does. But if the parent <i>wants</i> a fight (or if they "dance like a puppet" when tested), then they'll definitely get a fight. Treat it like a battle for power and it becomes one.atatnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2222630007427380394.post-81455541309822651892012-02-24T13:01:40.014-06:002012-02-24T13:01:40.014-06:00I agree with your assessment of what authoritarian...I agree with your assessment of what authoritarians want, but I disagree that children are powerless. They aren't as powerful as adults, but they spend a lot of time trying out ways to overcome the authority of adults, including their parents (each of my three boys said, at about age three, "I'm in charge of this house"). This is normal, even biologically determined, as kids are self-centered and are natural scientists, constantly experimenting to see how the world works (there's a book about child development called "The Scientist in the Crib"). And an important part of the world is parents, especially adults. The struggle for control is uneven but the kids come out ahead surprisingly often. ("And what does your mother do when you refuse to do you chores?" the counsellor asked. "Oh," said the 7 year old with a grin, "she jumps around like a puppet.")Dr.BDHnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2222630007427380394.post-23037243568876979742012-02-24T10:30:10.785-06:002012-02-24T10:30:10.785-06:00this comes to mind, for some reason:
http://bette...this comes to mind, for some reason:<br /><br />http://betterbooktitles.com/post/2744363807/handmaidstale<br /><br /><br />I don't presume to judge others beliefs, but I remember being 12 or 13 and sitting in my room alone thinking about Santa Claus (which, embarrassingly, I believed years longer than most of my peers), and suddenly, as if struck by lightning, I realized the exact same trick had been played on me with God. I've been a happy atheist ever since.natenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2222630007427380394.post-33141528194994867982012-02-23T22:19:25.092-06:002012-02-23T22:19:25.092-06:00“You know, I’m a person of faith."
Well, fuc...“You know, I’m a person of faith."<br /><br />Well, fuckadoodledoo Ricky Santorum!<br /><br />This atheist is all for respecting freedom of religion. But one thing I can't abide is when politicians like Santorum wear it on their sleeve and act like it makes them special. More often than not it is used to justify extremist positions. "How dare you attack me, I'm a person of faith!"Tommykeyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14751182125861177379noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2222630007427380394.post-6500413600874334822012-02-23T20:50:14.374-06:002012-02-23T20:50:14.374-06:00I recall when I was 13-14, sitting in my Dad's...I recall when I was 13-14, sitting in my Dad's chair looking out the window and pondering religion. I mulled whether belief in God was just Grownup belief in a Substitute Daddy. When you're a kid you think your parents really are all powerful and Magical. Then you realize that no, they <i>aren't</i>, and what a shock! But wait, here comes an omnipotent God to the rescue, complete with commandments and prayers and weird senseless confusing contradictory "laws" for our Own Good, that no one can obey. Just like Mom & Dad forcing you to eat peas and carrots and brush your teeth! We'll understand when we grow up. We'll all understand God's will when we're DEAD.Kathyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03176801494652946278noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2222630007427380394.post-4563867934823112402012-02-23T17:31:55.992-06:002012-02-23T17:31:55.992-06:00I mentioned President Obama's ludicrous statem...I mentioned President Obama's ludicrous statement because when President Bush made the same type pf statements he was rightfully ridiculed. <br /><br />The wonderful "progressives" who support Obama defended the sincerity of his "Faith". Ironies abound in partisanry. A man who drone murders hundreds, if not thousands, of civilians in poor Muslim nations citing Scripture is a bit much.(Let alone his reverse Robin Hood economic policies)Anatole Davidhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09475202797984385346noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2222630007427380394.post-59277446642344043532012-02-23T14:09:10.264-06:002012-02-23T14:09:10.264-06:00People believe a massive amount of stuff, much of ...People believe a massive amount of stuff, much of it contradictory. Fortunately, even most people who "believe" in devils figure you're crazy or lying if you say you've seen or heard one.<br /><br />If you laugh hard enough at any specific silly belief, you can often get people to abandon it without putting a dent in their overall worldview.Downpuppyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10312490198813632190noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2222630007427380394.post-50027554068024640672012-02-23T13:36:03.334-06:002012-02-23T13:36:03.334-06:00Excellent summation. President Obama crafts his po...Excellent summation. President Obama crafts his policy based on Scriptures(per latest Prayer Breakfast speech).Anatole Davidhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09475202797984385346noreply@blogger.com