It’s Almost As If One Were An Excuse For The Other
Lifted from yesterday’s comments:
It’s interesting just how often “social justice” posturing entails something that looks an awful lot like spite or petty malice, or an attempt to harass and dominate, or some other obnoxious behaviour. Behaviour that, without a “social justice” pretext, might get you called a wanker or a bitch. A coincidence, I’m sure.
There are numerous examples of such behaviour in the archives, including this, this, this, and both of these. One of the more vivid illustrations is this little gem, in which Black Lives Matter enthusiasts at an Ivy League university claim to be oppressed by hats and headphones, and promptly indulge in racist thuggery, targeting random white people with violence and abuse – and with impunity, of course – before being applauded by university staff.
Today, Liz points out another, more recent example – a plan to disrupt Donald Trump’s inauguration by blocking bridges, obstructing traffic and sabotaging all of the Metro trains in Washington DC. Because nothing says “I’m virtuous” like ruining the day of tens of thousands of people and leaving them to worry about how to get home, or to work, or get to the doctor, or pick up their children.
[ Update, via the comments: ]It’s an odd thing to watch, this “radical” approach to “social change.” You have to wonder, at what point in the little warriors’ planning sessions did the tactics linked above – preventing Wal-Mart staff from getting home to their families, harassing random white people and making them walk through mud, and trapping a woman in a wheelchair and then taunting her – become good ideas, the way to signal righteousness? And as this behaviour is unlikely to result in any social effect that the activists claim to want – and in fact tends to strengthen opposition to their ostensible cause – you also have to wonder what the fundamental motive actually is. Given the vanishingly slim chance of instant social transformation, there isn’t much else to consider, apart from narcissism, selfishness and an obvious delight in having power over others.
It’s sometimes hard to see much difference between a “social justice” activist and a sociopath with a flimsy excuse.
Aren’t they supposed to be the clever ones?
In this case, “supposed to be” and “actually are” do not overlap in the great Venn diagram of life, but then, it is also the case for nigh all leftist actions and policies which will only work for once if there are more of them. Dunning-Kruger in action.
…pointlessly irritating is regarded as a triumph in itself and a basis for the inevitable self-congratulation.
Which is precisely the case – “haw, did you see how we stuck it to The Man tonight !” et cetera, et cetera. Did you accomplish anything, “No, but we stuck it to The Man !”
…the latter are doing a greater disservice to the wider reputation of gay people.
Bingo, but it is not just gays, the same applies to any group using the same tactics – BLM sponsored rioters looting weave shops and convenience stores, followers of mohammed running amuck in Cologne. It is hard to win hearts and minds while you are burning the village down, but, hey, as long as you think you are sticking it to The Man, it’s all good.
if praising kids for being smart creates narcissists whereas praising them for working successfully through a problem creates capable people … doesn ‘t that guarantee narcissism via identity politics? “You’re so smart because you’re a [insert identity group here]” will cause the kid to shut off the effort and thereby fall further behind his/her non-narcissistically-raised peers, thereby deepening the cycle of envy.
Eye of The Storm
Jane Elliot is an anti-racism activist, and educator, as well as a feminist and LGBT activist. They weren’t always complete idiots.
Surprised that no one has mentioned the old “little Eichmanns” comment by Ward Churchill after 9/11. You’re wondering how is it that the SJWs don’t realize that their tactics are counterproductive in bringing over the unconvinced, etc., but are overlooking the fact that to them, those unconvinced – those who go about earning an honest living, raising their families, etc. – are the enemy, whose inconvenience (or, ideally, death) is to be celebrated as an end in itself.
“being needlessly, pointlessly irritating is regarded as a triumph”
But then people make fun of them, so they can claim victimhood and lash out at their oppressors.
It’s a thought but a tad too close to totalitarianism itself, unless one is speaking of one’s own charges…
And there’s the nut. It’s in the educational system. Stop funding and “guaranteeing” it with the public’s involuntarily given tax dollars/pounds/wampum/etc. Not speaking of the straw man of basic education, but the “humanities”, “literature”, philosophy, in higher “education”. Not that there is anything wrong with the concepts in general but unless the subjects are germane to an educational path and to a student deemed worthy of the money spent BY THE PERSON WHOSE MONEY IS BEING LOANED/SPENT, they are a waste of time and money.
Just for the record, I am aware that the use of scare quotes is quite tiresome but in an age when words are losing their meaning, when “literally” does not literally mean “literally”, my communications skills just aren’t up to the task without them.
Jane Elliot is an anti-racism activist,
This Jane Elliott?
I’m outta ideas as to how to cure true narcissism once it’s been instilled; Cluster B’s are a tough nut to crack.
If the neuropsychiatrists are right about neuroplasticity and the source of Cluster B personality disorders (severe, sustained and concealed abuse during crucial childhood development ages) then it probably isn’t possible to cure Cluster B PDs. At best you can teach the sufferer how to recognize and mitigate their disordered responses. This would jibe with what I’ve seen in the treatment of women with severe BPD/CPTSD.
“What I’ve learned is, it’s all about justice.”
I wonder what the badge for that looks like?
I also wonder if I am an inherently bad person for thinking that is genuinely awful idea.
genuinely awful idea
The earlier you start the brainwashing, the harder it is to overcome later.
The earlier you start the brainwashing, the harder it is to overcome later.
Seemed to work for the Jesuits.
Then again, ‘work’ implies ‘success’ and ‘success’ in that context needs to be weighed against the amount of therapy the subjects required later in life as adults …
if praising kids for being smart creates narcissists whereas praising them for working successfully
That creates self-centered, spoiled brats who are in for a Big Awakening, either sooner or later. Praise doesn’t create Narcissistic PD, which, as Daniel Ream points out, is caused by “severe, sustained and concealed abuse during crucial childhood development ages.”
PDs are like the trees at the mouth of a windy canyon: when saplings, they bent with the wind but could still straighten up when the wind stopped. Gradually, the hardwood grows into a permanent tilt that cannot be righted without snapping the trunk in half.
It is hard to win hearts and minds while you are burning the village down
If you fight nastily enough, you don’t need to win hearts and minds: you just need to instill fear. Pour encourager les autres, of course. They don’t want to persuade us intellectually: they want to cow us into submission.
At best you can teach the sufferer how to recognize and mitigate their disordered responses.
PDs can’t tell their responses are disordered. In their minds, they’re just fine–it’s the rest of the world that’s screwed up.
The people closest to PDs are the actual sufferers of PD and the ones who need the counseling: to undo the constant gaslighting that PDs subject them to.
Of course, after that they will scream they are being repressed by “fascists”
Someone over at Legal Insurrection used the acronym DARVO. Deny, Attack, Reverse Victim and Offender; a tactic the left and Islam both share (the latter all the way back to ol’ Mo himself).
those least able, skilled or prepared are agitating in hopes of creating a chaos, in which they are the least likely to survive.
The term is useful idiot. Follow up the chain of those directing them and you will find those who do not care what happens to these people, and/or hope for them to suffer harmful consequences for the opportunity that would create for more DARVO.
Years ago Kim duToit wrote an essay detailing a friend’s experiences with his lefty neighbors
IIRC that was the one where the guy said something along the lines of, “Well I know whose house I’m going to if there’s a disaster.” And Kim’s response (if this was Kim I’m thinking of) was “No, you aren’t.” The neighbor did not think that a man would not risk his own family’s safety in a time of crisis by taking in a hanger-on who assumed entitlement to vital resources.
Squires,
Yes, that’s the one.
PDs can’t tell their responses are disordered. In their minds, they’re just fine–it’s the rest of the world that’s screwed up.
That’s not universally true. I’ve known a few people with BPD/CPTSD who have learned to recognize their disordered responses and take corrective action. It’s not many and it requires massive and intense therapy. And the last good statistic I heard on this was that only 15% of people with BPD/CPTSD ever show any improvement.
Someone over at Legal Insurrection used the acronym DARVO. Deny, Attack, Reverse Victim and Offender; a tactic the left and Islam both share
Interestingly enough, this is exactly what many Cluster B PDs do. It’s about getting responsibility the hell away from oneself by any means necessary.
a plan to disrupt Donald Trump’s inauguration by blocking bridges, obstructing traffic and sabotaging all of the Metro trains in Washington DC.
So the ‘protestors’ (vandals and rioters) have already started smashing windows.
https://twitter.com/ReutersPolitics/status/822470047167815681
So the ‘protestors’ (vandals and rioters) have already started smashing windows.
Or as Iowahawk put it, “The committee to re-elect Trump already hard at work.”
This Jane Elliott?
Sadly, yes. It’s almost like she fell for her own experiment.
I watched the brown eye/blue eye video years ago and was really struck by the power just a few hours of poor/positive treatment had on people. It’s baffling to me that they could have gotten so far off track.
It’s baffling to me that they could have gotten so far off track.
It’s what identity politics and grievance hustling tends to do. It attracts obnoxious personalities and then excuses and encourages their obnoxious urges. As I hope the post illustrates, she’s an irretrievably malign human being.
Please spare a thought for Laurie Penny at this difficult time.
Regarding the ever charming Miss Penny, as long as she and her lady bits go, that will be swell, though perhaps she can be persuaded to go some other place than back to England, no reason why just the US and UK should benefit from her presence.
The biggest cheer of all came when Trump promised to wipe out ‘Islamic’ terrorism.
The bastard, putting all those workers in ISIS bomb factories out of work.
It’s Fascism. Literally the dictionary definition.
Hmmm. The main theme of the speech was getting power out of DC and giving government back to the people as intended, so it literally isn’t. Do these cretins know any word for things they don’t like other than “fascist” ?
‘In an actual anarchy, people who behaved this way would be killed, or enslaved until they paid off the damage they did.’
https://pjmedia.com/instapundit/255091/
the last good statistic I heard on this was that only 15% of people with BPD/CPTSD ever show any improvement.
It’s good to know that there’s a glimmer of hope, but it’s certainly not enough to pin one’s hopes on if you have the misfortune of being married to one or of having one for a parent.
The PDs are always the result of terrible emotional trauma, but the PD behavior is so obnoxious any sympathy quickly evaporates.
but the PD behaviour is so obnoxious any sympathy quickly evaporates.
Whatever the cause, and given the nature of the beast, the abusive and obnoxious behaviour isn’t likely to be fixed by pity, or forgiveness, or discussion, or indulgence, however patient and high-minded. Indeed, such efforts are likely to be exploited. At some point, ideally promptly, self-defence has to kick in.
More broadly, the extent to which one can change another person or help them consider their own motives, is, I think, quite limited, even in the best possible circumstances. It’s not something I’ve been hugely successful at, at least. And the disorders we’re talking about are among the worst possible circumstances.
It’s good to know that there’s a glimmer of hope
Actually, for me that statistic was the key to moving on from my ex-wife. It meant that I could stop feeling guilty, because nothing I did was going to have made any difference.
At some point, ideally promptly, self-defence has to kick in.
It isn’t a rabid dog’s fault that it’s rabid. That doesn’t make it any less dangerous.
Here in the deranged Dominion, January 25th is “Let’s Talk About Mental Health Day”. I suspect that plain talk about BPD and the other cluster B personality disorders and their impact is not quite what Facebook is expecting.
people with BPD
When I were a lad, we called them arseholes.
Another peace-loving lefty hits a woman in the face.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S1eb9vQ1vAk