I've been exploring a really interesting idea lately and kind of working on it with my friends and loved ones. It started with a conversation I was having with one of them that involved hypothetical overthrow of government.
My friend said something very important and I found it stuck in my craw in a way I haven't been able to dislodge.
"You can't say that. If someone hears you and calls the FBI, you could get arrested."
Now, I hadn't suggested anything more drastic than what's been said on national television networks across the country regarding a total shift in leadership. What shocked and appalled my friend was that I, a supposedly powerless person, would have the audacity to say it without an army of lawyers backing me up.
I've since then been thinking of things that you 'Can't Say'. These violate social taboos that run so deep and are so powerfully conditioned into the minds of people that even the words are vomited back out of the collective psyche.
It's the job of people in subcultures to find these things and say them, if only to one another. We may dedicate ourselves to specific causes but in the end what we're doing it challenging the fears and uncertainties of our culture. Sometimes we're speaking the collective thoughts which aren't said for safeties sake except by the brave or insane. Sometimes we're presenting creative ideas...and creative ideas make people squirm.
Lets hear a few things you can't say. I'll start us off. I want you to come back with some more. I realize some of this will offend you. It's meant to. If what is said attacks a deep and long held belief, take it as something to consider. Look for the possible grains of truth, the reasoning which could make a person think or say such a thing. Even if it is repugnant to you seek out the other person's truth.
It will give you a real edge in understanding others if you're able to put yourself in their shoes...even if their shoes are full of nails.
These ARE NOT my opinions or beliefs. Don't take them as such.
"Soldiers are murderers, whether they do it for god, king, or country."
"We should ban people who believe in invisible things from holding office for mental instability."
"Equality is a lie. People aren't equal nor do they have the potential to be."
"If you can't measure it, it doesn't exist."
"You can take a lesbian against her will and make her straight. It's not rape if you do it for God."
"There is no right or wrong. People are opportunistic animals and the survivors who pass on their genes are those who were right. The dead are those who were wrong."
"We should kill our leaders. They've betrayed us to the rich."
"Submissive women have been brain-washed."
"The world isn't overpopulated. It's underpopulated. We need more births."
I want to hear your examples. Don't strive just to shock. I can string together a spray of invective and shock with it. Strive to challenge yourself. See inside the minds of the people who're saying these things.
Deviate from the norm. People willing to develop and speak what are, today, extreme views will be the people who create the future. Find your extreme.
My friend said something very important and I found it stuck in my craw in a way I haven't been able to dislodge.
"You can't say that. If someone hears you and calls the FBI, you could get arrested."
Now, I hadn't suggested anything more drastic than what's been said on national television networks across the country regarding a total shift in leadership. What shocked and appalled my friend was that I, a supposedly powerless person, would have the audacity to say it without an army of lawyers backing me up.
I've since then been thinking of things that you 'Can't Say'. These violate social taboos that run so deep and are so powerfully conditioned into the minds of people that even the words are vomited back out of the collective psyche.
It's the job of people in subcultures to find these things and say them, if only to one another. We may dedicate ourselves to specific causes but in the end what we're doing it challenging the fears and uncertainties of our culture. Sometimes we're speaking the collective thoughts which aren't said for safeties sake except by the brave or insane. Sometimes we're presenting creative ideas...and creative ideas make people squirm.
Lets hear a few things you can't say. I'll start us off. I want you to come back with some more. I realize some of this will offend you. It's meant to. If what is said attacks a deep and long held belief, take it as something to consider. Look for the possible grains of truth, the reasoning which could make a person think or say such a thing. Even if it is repugnant to you seek out the other person's truth.
It will give you a real edge in understanding others if you're able to put yourself in their shoes...even if their shoes are full of nails.
These ARE NOT my opinions or beliefs. Don't take them as such.
"Soldiers are murderers, whether they do it for god, king, or country."
"We should ban people who believe in invisible things from holding office for mental instability."
"Equality is a lie. People aren't equal nor do they have the potential to be."
"If you can't measure it, it doesn't exist."
"You can take a lesbian against her will and make her straight. It's not rape if you do it for God."
"There is no right or wrong. People are opportunistic animals and the survivors who pass on their genes are those who were right. The dead are those who were wrong."
"We should kill our leaders. They've betrayed us to the rich."
"Submissive women have been brain-washed."
"The world isn't overpopulated. It's underpopulated. We need more births."
I want to hear your examples. Don't strive just to shock. I can string together a spray of invective and shock with it. Strive to challenge yourself. See inside the minds of the people who're saying these things.
Deviate from the norm. People willing to develop and speak what are, today, extreme views will be the people who create the future. Find your extreme.
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