Sociology

This post deals with subjects and subject matter some may find offensive. If you feel you might object to the topic or some of the things discussed, please do not read. Thank you.

Some of you may be aware that IntricateGirl and I have been arguing back and forth as to where the line is drawn between individual responsibility and the responsibilities of a society to the individual. While we both agree that Sacha Baren Cohen is a complete asshole, we disagree as to whether or not he should be allowed (legally) to practice his particular form of violence. And make no mistake about it: anything one person does to cause significant and personal loss to another is an act of violence, whether or not that violence is physical in nature.

Intricate's position is understandable and certainly the more popular of the two: those what got "took" by Cohen, while it does not excuse him from being an asshole, basically deserved what they got because it was their decision to make. Mine is just the opposite: Cohen employed deception to persuade them into contractual obligations, which nullifies the arrangement. Hers is an argument based on common sense and conventional morality; mine is one based on diminished capacity and misrepresentation being held liable and not the victims.

And so I lift my mask to expose myself as the dissident I am...

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I don't happen to know how many Ph.D.s are actually living and working in the United States at the moment. But I read that American universities have turned out no fewer than 30,000 per year since the 1960s; in 2003, the latest year for which official statistics are available, there were 46,024 newly-minted eggheads.

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Recent discussions here have inspired this blog. Please read it to gain a good starting point for the discussion.

Are we stuck forever by our early circumstances? This is a tough question to answer. Certainly, nobody wants to be limited. And most people at least claim that they don't want to limit others potential. But let's not lie to one another. Did Jeffrey Dahmer really have much of a chance of growing up "normal?" Mental disease damned him before he had a real chance. Let's try someone who is more normal, and yet, more extraordinary. Take Bill Gates. Was there ever a chance that he wouldn't have done something amazing with his life? His VAST fortune has a lot of luck, but his personality is one that would inspire luck to strike him. It's like I often joke, "I'll but a new car when I win the lottery. Considering I don't play, it's going to be a while." Bill Gates personality is one that would make it impossible for him not to take risks and make great gains.

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Every so often a story comes along that warms the heart and engages the mind. Then sometimes stories like THIS ONE come along. Call me cold hearted or insensitve, but I actually laughed at this story.

I'm pretty sure that Australia is the only place in the world where this would get coverage. They operate on a different level of reality over on the ol island-continent-nation don't they? Sure, the family is from Turkey, but only the Aussies would take the time to cover this, right?

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Now that I have your attention with such an outrageous title, I will be writing about my favorite book. Most people enjoy reading fictional works, or perhaps memoirs. I prefer sociological books that read like a college assignment. To that end, my favorite book is "The Lucifer Principle" by Howard Bloom. The title of the book comes from the first chapter. Mr. Bloom presents the story of Marcion, a Christian heretic in ancient Rome, who said that the creator could not be merciful. After all, evil was rampant, and everywhere you looked throughout nature, violence was to be found. To be able to create such violence, the creator must have understood violence, so he is to blame. Others did not like this idea and began to talk about Lucifer, a being which relished evil. Mr. Bloom states that perhaps Marcion understood the situation better. After all, Lucifer, even within the Christian lore, did not create the evil. He gave into its lure. "Evil" is a by-product of creation, says Mr. Bloom. The remainder of the book is dedicated to examining the evils of nature, creation, birth, etc. He does so through 5 concepts.

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The human race can best be depicted as living in a sailboat adrift at sea.
The mast is broken, the rudder is rotten; the captain is awaiting the coming of help from some source he has heard of but never seen.

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