Almost Interesting

You know why writers almost always tack that happily ever after crap onto their stories, right? It’s so you can feel safe in ending your emotional investment with the characters (I don’t have to worry, they’ll be OK now!). Unfortunately, this safe, sloppy little writing tactic tends to get projected onto real, live people (ourselves included), and we seek out certain milestones in life at which we seek to end our emotional investments in ourselves. However, there is no happily ever after – there never was – and everybody needs to stop this dangerous business of divesting themselves their of interest in their own futures.

Sara: Did I ever mention that I was a teenaged Objectivist?
Andrew: What does that entail?
Sara: Oh, Ayn Rand crap.
     It’s like being a Twilight fan, but instead of being pathetic, you’re an asshole.
     The only people in our Objectivist club in high school were the same people as were in the computer club, and nobody could get a date.
     And we all thought we were too good for each other. (We weren’t.)
Andrew: That’s fucking hilarious.
Sara: Right?

The picture shown here is of a passenger on an American Airlines flight, as taken by a concerned flight attendant. I have seen it passed around and discussed, usually in discussions of whether or not larger passengers ought to be charged for a second seat.

After seeing this picture initially, my reaction was along the lines of, “Well, he got himself this way so he should be responsible for it!” But now I’m in a bit of a philosophical crisis over it. Look closely at the photo – this man is not only much wider but also far taller than the other passengers. Should this passenger be of a “normal” BMI, it is likely that he may require more than one seat anyway! Somehow I feel that it is wrong to charge an “average”-weight-but-very-tall passenger extra for their ride, but right to charge an obese person more. Why? Why do I feel this way?

No matter the reason for a person to require special accommodations, the end result is the same. Why, then, do I feel that a fat person should be charged more? Am I seeking to punish the grave social sin of being fatter than is deemed acceptable? Of course, it can be pointed out that one is not likely to grow to such a size without consuming animal flesh (wish does indeed fill me with a sickening sort of dread), but 98% of Americans (and ~90% worldwide) do the same and I am certainly not in the business of seeking retribution against them.

Have I identified a prejudice against fat people in my own mind?

In response to this post at Feministe.

I have never been spanked/whipped/whooped/made to bleed with finger nails by any but my parents, whom felt that it was a necessary practice. Along with the trauma inflicted (including the void and mistrust it creates between the parent and the child) and the advocating of violence as an answer to problems (which I specifically place a great deal of blame on for how my brother turned out [up to and including his suicide]), I further place blame on this outdated and barbaric practice for the illogical way in which people think and act in society.

Corporal punishment simply serves as a violent outlet for the anger of a parent/guardian/authority figure. It does NOTHING to explain to the person being punished WHY what they did was wrong, nor what the consequences of their actions will be, nor how they can help to rectify their actions. It is nothing more than a cop-out for the lazy, angry parent/guardian/authority figure which additionally serves to create another generation of people who have been taught to reflexively believe others when they say something is bad/wrong/evil without any proof of what harm it does (the “bad” thing could be anything from being gay, women doing “men’s” jobs, sex acts done in private between consenting adults, etc). I sincerely hope that enough people will start to question the nonsensical practices of previous generations and turn their backs on this barbarism.

Since January I’ve been on quite the reading binge. It started with the Twilight series, the first three books of which I heartily enjoyed despite my apprehensions. I finished them with the reading hunger deeply (re-)instilled, so I decided to nurture it. Since then I’ve been using a list of “top 100 books” a friend of mine posted on his blog to guide my efforts so that I may one day be able to confidently regard myself as well-read. (You will note that all the books on the list are fiction.) The Bible is, of course, on this list.

Nobody can deny the enormous impact which the Bible has had on the world. Indeed, literacy of the peasant masses may never have come to fruition had it not been for the good-intentioned educating of whole populations with the goal of every last person reading this book. Even an Atheist such as myself can appreciate the result wholeheartedly. After this shining beacon of good which the Bible has helped accomplish, there doesn’t seem to be (m)any other such fine examples to speak of. We have all seen what superstition does to groups of people, leaving them in fear, robbing them of sense and compassion, imbuing them with spite (and sometimes hatred) for those who do not fit into a very narrow definition of worthiness by those whom tout said superstitions.

I will not hesitate to admit that Christians scare me. It is not the individual Christian I fear – they always turn out to be just as benevolent as your individual non-Christian. No, I fear them as a group much in the same way I would fear a person experiencing violent hallucinations while control of a wrecking ball. Were it not for the power that regressive – some even theocratic – groups have in this nation, I would not have even the least concern for what other people choose to believe. It behooves us to in good faith (pun intended) attempt to understand the mindset of these people as best as possible.

Having been raised in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (or simply “Mormons” for those avoiding that mouthful), my family only owned copies of the King James Version of the Bible. As I am sure many other dutiful children in Christian families attempt, I read the whole quad (that is KJV, Book of Mormon, Pearl of Great Price, and Doctrine and Covenants). Likewise, as I am sure all but the brightest of these kids discover, Jacobean English did not much agree with me. Growing up I was given pieces, chapters, stories here and there which I digested when given the proper context and still retain to this day, but the sort of authority a person has on the subject when having swallowed that jagged pill that is reading the whole damn Bible is not mine and I desire it.

Now probably a Christian visitor here may say to me, “You rejected Christianity without comprehending the Bible? Indeed you did so out of ignorance!” To which I ask you: Did you need to read the whole Qur’an in order to reject Islam? The Dhamma to reject Buddhism? Dianetics to reject Scientology? If you have indeed read all the various holy books you have placed your hands on, I do most heartily applaud your efforts and hope to be able to say the same one day! However, for the vast majority of non-believers in various other religions this is not so.

In the interest of sustaining my book-loving groove, I decided to read the New International Version of the Bible. In the past when I have fallen out of these habits, it is usually because I had taken on a more difficult reading endeavor than I could comfortably handle, despaired, and gave up. Moreover, I am not reading the Bible for pure theology’s sake but for understanding and even for enjoyment (as much as can be derived). The specific edition I have purchased is the hardcover Zondervan NIV Study Bible, which I procured some four years ago as my desperate fear of death-cum-oblivion was in its own death throes. (It’s a long story.) So far I have nothing but the highest praise for this version. It flows more like a novel than the usual clunky poetry style of the KJV, has nearly as much highly useful notes as it has story content, and – let’s face it – it’s visually appealing. All of these are surely among the many reasons for its immense popularity. I wish I were given the NIV as a child so that I may have understood the Bible better; had I been, today I may be reading the KJV instead for the beauty of its style. (Oh well!)

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I have just finished reading through Genesis and I found myself surprisingly and delightedly amused! I also had a few thoughts on it which I want to share. I won’t delve into the usual criticism of how silly I find the creation story or how lamentably women were treated – these are very good topics but they’ve been explored in great depth by much better thinkers than me already and I see no point in duplicating their efforts.

• I really think I’m starting to understand the appeal that the Hebrews’ religion must have had for other people at the time. Here we have a mythology which instead of being focused on the pantheon of gods’ lives and doings is focused on that of humans instead. Surely the appeal must have been a big selling point here: “There are many gods doing what ever they like and they rarely care at all about mortals.” vs. “There is one god and all he does is focus on mortals. If you are loyal to just this one god and his chosen people he will be good to you, too!” Wow, just one god to remember and all he does is dote on me if I can please him! I get it.
• I have a question on something which is probably trivial. It’s obvious that not many women are ever mentioned (at least in Genesis) unless they play a key part in a story of the male characters. It is clear that Dinah (Genesis 30:21) is mentioned because of the role she plays in the story (Genesis 34) of why Simeon and Levi did not receive Rueben’s birthright after he lost it (Genesis 35:22), but why is Serah, daughter of Asher, mentioned (Genesis 46:17) in the recollection of who all was moved to Egypt with Jacob’s family? Does she play a role later or did her family just really, really love her?