On Being Human
Last edited Tue Feb 6, 2024, 02:42 PM - Edit history (1)
In times of humanitarian crises, good people who are not affected want to lend support. This has included the two best known types of humanitarian crises; natural disasters, and the man-made disasters commonly known as war. There is a third type, lesser known but surprising common, known as "complex emergencies." This is when there is significant or total breahdowns of the institutions in a society.
Why am I writing about this tonight, no one may ask? For while there are a few man-made disasters (aka wars ) going on. They are half-way around the earth. No Americans are "officially" participating in them. There's no realistic threat that they will spread, is there? So why am I even thinking about this stuff? And what does it have to do with Taylor Swift?
This weekend, I saw where a person on an internet forum said, among other things, that Taylor Swift was a demon, coordinating with the Democratic Party to send people to hell. At my cousin's request, I added my thoughts. My first contribution was one of my favorite Mark Twain quotes: "Heaven for the climate, hell for the company."
The person took great offense to this, and to me as a person. Besides assuring me that I will burn in an eternal hell for worshipping Ms. Swift, he attributed a large quantity of beliefs and behaviors to me. I noted that this was interesting, because the only thing he could actually know about me is that I know at least one Mark Twain quote. I said that I know very little about Ms. Swift, and that it was him that appeared obsessed with her.
He angrily denied that he had any obsession with her. I said that the fact he had posted 18 pictures of her and links to three of her music videos suggested that he might not be consciously aware of this obsession. I suggested he might benefit from reading Carl Sagan's "The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark." This was met by him attacking science, and expressing his faith in the defendant to deliver believers to their promised land.
I can no more talk for Ms. Swift than I can sing for her. But I consider both her contributions to charity and her encouraging citizens to register to vote are good things. Likewise, I consider those who hate her are other than good. And thus we find an illustration of a complex emergency that the United States is confronting.
The Robert Strauss Center has a chart to help identify various types of complex emergencies that can be helpful for the international response to humanitarian crises. It includes factors such as political, environmental, economic, and demographic instability, in terms of being acute, chronic, urban, and protracted. Thus, for example, if there are people moving north from Central America due to the combination of violence and prolonged drought, the country they seek to enter will have a crises. When these migrants have cultures different from the larger population, it increases the stress incurred.
Likewise, if a country seeks to expand its territory by way of a military intervention in a neighboring people's land, there will be a humanitarian crisis. This includes, but is not limited to, the Russian war of aggression in the Ukraine.
When a country -- let's say the United States -- experiences a number of the factors of complex emergencies, a couple things will happen. There will be increasing divides on how the country will respond to external humanitarian crises, and there will be an increase of hostility not only for "others," but even for a young lady like Taylor Swift for encouraging others to register to vote -- as if that is "un-American."
= new reply since forum marked as read
I have been watching with some amusement how the threatened (in-their-minds) righties are consumed with things they shouldn't be. Taylor Swift, though, represents many boogie men to them. She's a boogie woman to begin with. Her success is real and not engineered. Her crowd-size and fan base are humongous. She believes in giving back and showing gratitude to people and not the right-wing Jesus. She has stepped into what the righties believe is their turf--everything football. She is not falling apart and humiliating herself (as women should) with all that success. Lastly, she wields influence and power.
Yikes!
...so they try to turn the table and use the exact criticisms some have levied against them (MAGAs). PeeWee Herman said, "I know you are, but what am I?" Projection works in the absence of an original thought or valid argument.
The idea that we can draw from the science of Psychology to illustrate perceptions and behaviors, not to mention explain them terrifies them. Inside they are very insecure.
This is why they invoke the Devil and/or demons. This is also why they've used 'woke' as a slam.
She lives rent free in their heads.
It was a pleasure to read, as they always are.
I just gave you a heart for having written this! Even though you have many, I feel that one more from me is more than worth it.
