It’s a copout. A small-minded copout. We all judge. It’s a function of our innate survival instincts to pass judgment. All truly sentient minds have this power.
I find it’s people who can’t coherently raise a valid counterpoint are those who resort to spurious claims that we are wrong to exercise our critical faculties, merely because of points of view they don’t like. Is it not a species of judgment to claim we are judging? Who is anyone else to tell us how we should think or feel about something?
As I said, small-minded.
This post was edited by Don Barzini at August 27, 2018 2:37 AM MDT
While judging is indeed a function of our innate survival instincts when we go public with it we are setting ourselves up as judges. The other dimension (and "valid counterpoint" to) survival is getting along with others - the social dimension - and in publicly judging others we are pushing them away and setting ourselves up as better than they are. But then I guess you can dismiss anything I think by just labelling me "small minded"! I don't think you are "small minded" or "incoherent" or "spurious". But do wish you could see that there are others who may not agree with you or who are for whatever reasons unable to live up to your critical standards who have lives to live of their own so choose to live them their own way.
If you’ll note, I didn’t refer to anyone as small minded, incoherent or spurious, but to the state of their claims, their actions.
“Getting along” in society includes being cognizant that others will disagree, sometimes vociferously, and it should remain their right to do so in whatever manner they deem necessary, short of inflicting actual harm on someone else. Respect for people’s rights and feelings goes both ways.
To those who presume to judge others publicly, just know redress may follow; to those who claim grievance in being judged, get past it - in the end, we are only talking about one person’s opinion, are we not?
This post was edited by Don Barzini at August 26, 2018 9:11 AM MDT
Sigh. If someone says I am middle-aged and grey-haired that is a "proven truth". Or can be "proved". But if someone says I am old and unattractive so no one can be interested in me that is an opinion and a judgment. So judging for themselves such a person would himself stay away from me. But then if he is rallying others to stay away from me because of his own judgment isn't that being pretty presumptuous thinking that others are going share his judgment? Or does his pride and self-esteem consist in getting as many people as he can to stay away from me? And is one thing to warn people away from me privately and quite something other to go public with it.
Agreed. I think what you describe approaches what I mentioned as doing “actual harm”, and to my sensibilities is another step beyond merely passing judgment, to utilize that opinion to rally others to the same view. Propaganda, right?
On a further point, I start to see red flags when people presume to say their version of judgment is representative of what “no one” or “everyone” would think or do.
This post was edited by Don Barzini at August 26, 2018 9:50 AM MDT
We prefer some things to others. I suppose if you prefer you could call it judging.I prefer jazz and classical music generally speaking. Am I not judging by liking one musical genre more than another? I love scifi movies and avoid any movie with the word DUMB. I like dry wit. Not a 3 Stooges fan. I love unicorns and rainbows. Not bullfights or dogfights or fistfights. I prefer to look upon beauty not ugly. I am always judging and choosing. But when you speak TRUTH by simply reporting it other than CHOOSING to report it how is that judging? People throw words around that make absolutely no sense at all and when you challenge them or call them on it if you get a response it is even less coherent than the original gibberish. At least to me. Thank you for your thoughtful reply DB and Happy Monday to thee! :)
Don Barzini 