(no subject)

[sophiaserpentia]

In the big discussion on my journal today, I made a sweeping generalization I should not have. I retracted it later, but still, I'm very disgusted with myself.

I guess I should learn how to let myself be wrong sometimes, but it's so hard. Especially when it is an error I should not have made, in light of the volunteer training I just went through. I feel like I have to go back to square one now.

Comments

[meetzemonsta.livejournal.com]

Don't beat yourself up over it.
Everyone slips up now and again!

[cktraveler.livejournal.com]

Nobody's perfect -- and there are certain generalizations that we hear repeated so often it's hard not to fall into them ourselves.

Square minus one.

[kwarizmi.livejournal.com]

I didn't follow the original discussion, but your comment above made me go flip through it.

I am reminded of why I didn't follow the original discussion. Gender politics, especially of the kind that pops up regularly in your writing, I find distasteful in the extreme.

But that's neither here nor there. My comment apropos is that, for someone who spends so much mental energy decrying the "dehumanizing" nature of "dualist" world-views, you seem to miss a glaring fact: that all Aristotelian generalizations (that is, generalizations of class) create dualities and inconsistencies. Aristotle himself got around these by very precise and quite pedantic rules of thought that today we call "logic".

Statement :: IF "no {B} is not {A}" THEN "all {A} are {B}".

Does not follow!! But this fallacy is ubiquitous, and utterly, violently aggresive when applied to human beings.

As genteel and constructive critique, may I suggest a thorough brushing up on your study of logic? This way you may avoid instinctively lashing out with the very sword of your enemies.

[chimpstop.livejournal.com]

Wow, I missed the fire fight, being on the verge of A.S. for most of the day.

The amount of deletions says a lot. Especially the triggery topic it covers.

I occasioally notice that you are as serious as a heart attack across certain core issues. Upon reflection of what little I've gleaned from your life experiences from your LJ, if you weren't as worked up as you were we'd have to check you for schizophrenic fugue.

Are you at a point in your life were occasionally you don't take yourself so seriously? Is that even a possibility for some one who has been thru what you've been thru.

To be blunt, I don't think you should edit yourself when dealing with something like this. Whether you share it with others is main question you have to ask yourself.

But it is better to kick it around, right or wrong, than to leave it in the back of the fridge to get all green and furry.

The one issue you and all of the respondants gyre'd on, that all men are potential rapists...I get this vibe (being big and bear like and physically intimidating just walking down the street) from women a lot, especially since one of my early spiritual teachers taught me to look people in the eyes and learn their life thru their faces...many folks cannot handle that close an interaction in passing.

The Xara event I went to back in April completely dissolved this interaction...men and women looked at each other, in the face, made eye contact, and no one exchanged bad vibes and phobias.

Then again, we were simulating a future agrarian utopia where all of the social stumbling blocks we deal with today were long forgotten...and it worked for three days.

Coming back to this distopia was a bit hard.

Don't flog yourself to hard over this. Live and learn. Mistakes are good for that, as long as they are not fatal, wound your body or psyche perm, etc.

hi

[lordsluk.livejournal.com]

"I should learn how to let myself be wrong sometimes"

hi there i'm jim and i have been lurking on your lj for many moons now. i feel the need to point out the slight arrogance of your statement. do you honestly think you are only wrong sometimes? logic is hardly foolproof. i am wrong a half dozen times per day.

"going back to square one" seems like something i need to do on a daily basis. i interpret going back to square one as returning to a humble place of not knowing.
i think its a sign of strength to be wrong. so many people are afraid to speak up because of fear of appearing foolish or wrong. its almost like an anxiety left over from high school of looking stupid in front of our peers. i wish more people were less afraid to be wrong. its not a sin.

**steps off soap box**

[azaz-al.livejournal.com]

I don't think you should apologize at all. You made one misstatement, which you corrected shortly thereafter.
The people who should apologize are the ones who won't listen.

[teddywolf.livejournal.com]

On a journey of a thousand miles
that starts with but a single step
The only time one must return to the start
due to misstep
Is when the misstep
is your first step.