"I like kids. I also like porn."
"I like kids. I also like porn."
What goes through your mind when you hear this line? If you're educated in philosophy you might think "non-sequitur" and you'd be right. But there's a lot of people in society today who don't have that level of education. So, what do you think goes through their mind when they hear that line? Let me guess: "Ew! I wouldn't trust you with my kids." or "Oh, so you watch kiddie porn, huh?"
The latter is obviously an assumption, and while it might be true that the person making that statement could be hinting that he/she watches kiddie porn, there's no evidence of such.
The former is also an assumption... but of what? Well, let's look at the quote again. The obvious keywords that trigger this assumption are "kids" and "porn". The assuming mind perceives the person-in-question to be a possible "child molester". Again, how do we arrive at this conclusion without any evidence? We're still just assuming.
Yes I know, it's an awkward statement to make, but the fact that a person likes kids isn't necessarily relevant with them also liking porn.
Here's another example:
"I like dogs. I also like fruits."
What're you thinking now? Is this one awkward too, like the first example? "What the hell do dogs even have to do with fruits?", you might ask. But if someone were to say this to you just out of random, you might also take it as a conversation starter. Some might respond with, "Oh, cool. I like dogs and fruits too. What kind of fruits do you like?" And then you'd move on to ask what their favorite type of dogs are.
Yet, saying in the same breath that you like kids and porn would invariably turn most people off. Notice what the brain does in the face of such statement. It's like a computer rapidly trying to figure something out as if it's thinking, "How do I respond to this information?"; until it can arrive at and produce the one thing it was programmed to do when it can find nothing else logical.
Perhaps that's it -- we're programmed... by what? Well, by culture, what else? After all, there's nothing inherently wrong in having a discussion about kids, is there? No shame in talking about dogs and fruits, right? What about porn - how is this topic treated in the culture? Hushed up? Taboo?
Yes, we are much like computers in the sense that we too can be programmed. As with the case above, when faced with such statement, it's not often that we respond with "Does Not Compute", or in human translation -- "I'm confused". No, the cultural response will either be, "gross", "weird", "child molestor" or "kiddie porn watcher", though gross and weird are highly subjective. Don't believe me? Try it out as an exercise. Copy and paste -- "I like kids. I also like porn." -- in the comment section of YouTube (under a popular video, no matter the topic), then see the flood of cultural replies you will get. Want to go further than that? Print it on a bumper sticker and stick on your vehicle. Then wait.
Just a simple PSA, reminding you to be (more) aware of your cultural conditioning and how it can ultimately infect your language comprehension and how this infection could influence your thinking, your actions and your emotions -- these last three being the foundation upon which our culture is built.
Thanks for reading my very first Steemit article. Take care!
That's wild... you're right. The two statements did not evoke the same sort of reaction in me at all - it played out just as you said it would.
I was just having a similar discussion with a friend of mine last night... Being aware of your own cultural programming helps bolster defense against its influence, but it doesn't extract it completely. It's still there, you're just more conscious of it when it rears its head.
But you're probably not always conscious of it, and it requires an act of will to increase your awareness. I noticed that upon engaging in prolonged study of American slavery; I found that I became more keenly aware of race. I was more likely to note people's races and view them in a historical context. This yielded a great degree of understanding regarding modern racial cultures, but it also had the unfortunate consequence of bringing race to the fore.
My study itself was a program that I was running, and it was interacting with other previously-installed programs. The net result was that I was able to shed many of the concepts regarding race that had been imposed upon me during my upbringing, but they were replaced with my new historical context. The latter was certainly healthier, but not optimal, as it was the study of a depraved time in human history. Attention on the depraved - even if wholly aware of its inappropriateness - still leaves depraved residue in the mind.
Subsequently, I had to clean this up so I could have the benefit of the historical perspective, without the corresponding toxicity. When the toxic thoughts would enter my mind, I would quickly shift my attention to the opposite pole of that idea. When the valid understanding born of my study came to my mind, I would support that with my continued attention.
I explored this topic in my article Unraveling the Mystery of Human Nature, which concluded by highlighting the necessity for vigilance regarding our thoughts and attention. This may very well be the most important topic of all, as it's the determinate factor in who we ultimately become in this world. You've done an excellent job demonstrating how this is so.
Right on, man. Note at the end how I brought up the trinity of thought, emotion, action -- an inspiration from you. I didn't plan on adding it, then it hit me.
Great first post.
Indeed a lot of people draw wrong conclusions. I can think of a few.
Ten years ago I might have been one of them.
But, euhm I'm not going to test this out, one could get in a lot of trouble with testing a non-sequiter like that.
Much appreciated for the kind words, wordsword. :)