Clearly, our society has become much too sensitive. Cancel culture has taken on proportions grossly exaggerated from what we would traditionally expect from normal humans. This leaves little room for discussion or debate. We have lost sight of even the ability to forgive each other's human foibles. Somebody does something or says something decades previously and, when discovered, they become pariahs, despite having changed over the years and having become much better human beings. We are all humans. We make mistakes. We say and do stupid things. Sometimes impulsively, sometimes out of ignorance. Either way, many of us, if patiently informed of the hurt it may have caused someone, or of our ignorance about the person or their culture, will often apologize if given the chance, rather than immediately being vilified and excommunicated from society.
As you so cogently discussed Michelle, we have become a society who avoids discomfort at all costs, and when it does show up, it's easier for us to cancel out the source of that discomfort, rather than learn how to deal more effectively with it. Learning to accept discomfort and ways to address it in our own lives makes us more adaptable as human beings. It also helps us be more compassionate by trying to understand other people's behavior, rather than being immediately dismissive of them.
Interesting post! But I have to ask-- do you really think we are "post" Women's Liberation? Because men are still telling us whether or not we can have bodily autonomy, men are still running the world (and right now, literally running it to death), men are still making most of the political decisions, and taking us into war after war after war... Well, you know what I'm saying, I think.
I was also raised by a mom with some pretty sexist ideas, also a product of her time, and probably around the same time as your mom's. I remember her telling me, round about fifth grade or so, "Don't be too smart in school, or the boys won't like you." I don't know exactly what I thought at that time, but it was something very close to "Eff the boys." ;)
I think there are a lot of women who prefer the company of men, and so favor, subconsciously, their male children, and view their daughters, often enough, as a kind of competition. I find this to be the case even today, and I'm in my sixth decade. I don't doubt my mother loves me, dearly, but... I was a very "liberated" girl-child, and still am! My mother's main advice to me regarding what to be when I grew up, was educated, and to "marry a rich man." I remember thinking, "Vomit!" lol
And fyi, I say this to all the writers, not just you: I'm a very good proofreader, and if you'd ever like to try me out, the first one is free. Because I am a Substack presence, I need to work from home, because of the TERROR of hiring someone who is un-jabbed. So, think of me, should you like a Serious Grammar Dog to sniff your posts before publishing. ^_^
I am sorry but I do not agree with you. The first part of this essay was fine, and no problems, but from the misreading of Roe vs Wade, from the absolutely made up huge majority of persons you are so sure think just like you, well, you lost me.
We are not all in that camp. not even close. If you leave the mass media behind, you'll find most real people are on the other side from you. Most of us can see that abortion is wrong, changes in the climate are not being caused by carbon, and common sense gun control is not.
It would have been a fine essay if you had stopped just before you got to there.
I think it's clear that there was a concerted agenda to raise a generation of wimps who wouldn't be able to effectively self-organize and stand up to the elites. It began in the 60s. Millennials' parents are wimps and psychologically unstable themselves.
Modern society does not allow for any problem however seemingly small or amiable to common sense remedies to be solved.
We are hated by our elites who want us broken, dead and think it's funny.
Clearly, our society has become much too sensitive. Cancel culture has taken on proportions grossly exaggerated from what we would traditionally expect from normal humans. This leaves little room for discussion or debate. We have lost sight of even the ability to forgive each other's human foibles. Somebody does something or says something decades previously and, when discovered, they become pariahs, despite having changed over the years and having become much better human beings. We are all humans. We make mistakes. We say and do stupid things. Sometimes impulsively, sometimes out of ignorance. Either way, many of us, if patiently informed of the hurt it may have caused someone, or of our ignorance about the person or their culture, will often apologize if given the chance, rather than immediately being vilified and excommunicated from society.
As you so cogently discussed Michelle, we have become a society who avoids discomfort at all costs, and when it does show up, it's easier for us to cancel out the source of that discomfort, rather than learn how to deal more effectively with it. Learning to accept discomfort and ways to address it in our own lives makes us more adaptable as human beings. It also helps us be more compassionate by trying to understand other people's behavior, rather than being immediately dismissive of them.
Interesting post! But I have to ask-- do you really think we are "post" Women's Liberation? Because men are still telling us whether or not we can have bodily autonomy, men are still running the world (and right now, literally running it to death), men are still making most of the political decisions, and taking us into war after war after war... Well, you know what I'm saying, I think.
I was also raised by a mom with some pretty sexist ideas, also a product of her time, and probably around the same time as your mom's. I remember her telling me, round about fifth grade or so, "Don't be too smart in school, or the boys won't like you." I don't know exactly what I thought at that time, but it was something very close to "Eff the boys." ;)
I think there are a lot of women who prefer the company of men, and so favor, subconsciously, their male children, and view their daughters, often enough, as a kind of competition. I find this to be the case even today, and I'm in my sixth decade. I don't doubt my mother loves me, dearly, but... I was a very "liberated" girl-child, and still am! My mother's main advice to me regarding what to be when I grew up, was educated, and to "marry a rich man." I remember thinking, "Vomit!" lol
And fyi, I say this to all the writers, not just you: I'm a very good proofreader, and if you'd ever like to try me out, the first one is free. Because I am a Substack presence, I need to work from home, because of the TERROR of hiring someone who is un-jabbed. So, think of me, should you like a Serious Grammar Dog to sniff your posts before publishing. ^_^
I am sorry but I do not agree with you. The first part of this essay was fine, and no problems, but from the misreading of Roe vs Wade, from the absolutely made up huge majority of persons you are so sure think just like you, well, you lost me.
We are not all in that camp. not even close. If you leave the mass media behind, you'll find most real people are on the other side from you. Most of us can see that abortion is wrong, changes in the climate are not being caused by carbon, and common sense gun control is not.
It would have been a fine essay if you had stopped just before you got to there.
I think it's clear that there was a concerted agenda to raise a generation of wimps who wouldn't be able to effectively self-organize and stand up to the elites. It began in the 60s. Millennials' parents are wimps and psychologically unstable themselves.
Modern society does not allow for any problem however seemingly small or amiable to common sense remedies to be solved.
We are hated by our elites who want us broken, dead and think it's funny.