Comments on: A post about Oprah Winfrey and her recent declaration of self-ickybits http://thecarruths.net/index.php/2008/12/12/a-post-about-oprah-winfrey-and-her-recent-declaration-of-self-ickybits/ A Whatever Blog by some Decidedly Not Whatever People. Wed, 18 Mar 2009 09:05:29 -0400 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.6 hourly 1 By: Ben http://thecarruths.net/index.php/2008/12/12/a-post-about-oprah-winfrey-and-her-recent-declaration-of-self-ickybits/comment-page-1/#comment-16 Ben Sat, 20 Dec 2008 10:49:31 +0000 http://thecarruths.net/?p=11#comment-16 Zoe, you hit a chord with the fourth paragraph. I've yet to find an apt, inoffensive way to explain that problem. While it's usually overt, the transition from friend to fan can be subtle (and is always disturbing). May be one to tackle roundabout through fiction. I'm caught on an image of smiling, nodding heads and slowly raised dinner forks. Zoe, you hit a chord with the fourth paragraph. I’ve yet to find an apt, inoffensive way to explain that problem. While it’s usually overt, the transition from friend to fan can be subtle (and is always disturbing). May be one to tackle roundabout through fiction. I’m caught on an image of smiling, nodding heads and slowly raised dinner forks.

]]> By: Zoe Winters http://thecarruths.net/index.php/2008/12/12/a-post-about-oprah-winfrey-and-her-recent-declaration-of-self-ickybits/comment-page-1/#comment-11 Zoe Winters Mon, 15 Dec 2008 23:41:45 +0000 http://thecarruths.net/?p=11#comment-11 Besides just self-loathing of one's body, another huge cultural message that I run up against constantly is the idea that there is a certain goal, EVERYONE in any given endeavor must want. If they dont' want it there is something emotionally retarded in them. Like I'm a writer. I'm SUPPOSED to want a traditional publisher in NY, and I'm SUPPOSED to want the NY times bestseller list, as the end all be all of my existence of a writer. I've already tossed away the first one, and I'm seriously re-evaluating the second one. I love that Ben says Punk is like a very loud Buddhism. That really resonates. And I love that Siddhartha and Sid Vicious both start with "Sid" And I also think it's positively SCARY how no one wants to think for themselves. Everybody wants to follow someone else. And if you say enough smart things to the right people, they'll all jump on your train and follow you. And that's frightening to me. You can't teach people to be independent thinkers, because true rebellion doesn't seem to be hard-wired into most people. Everybody just wants to get along and be accepted. And there is a big danger to that. Not only to finding personal identity and one's own genuine life goals, but in living for the borg and always being a slave to the ideals of your culture of birth. Besides just self-loathing of one’s body, another huge cultural message that I run up against constantly is the idea that there is a certain goal, EVERYONE in any given endeavor must want. If they dont’ want it there is something emotionally retarded in them.

Like I’m a writer. I’m SUPPOSED to want a traditional publisher in NY, and I’m SUPPOSED to want the NY times bestseller list, as the end all be all of my existence of a writer. I’ve already tossed away the first one, and I’m seriously re-evaluating the second one.

I love that Ben says Punk is like a very loud Buddhism. That really resonates. And I love that Siddhartha and Sid Vicious both start with “Sid”

And I also think it’s positively SCARY how no one wants to think for themselves. Everybody wants to follow someone else. And if you say enough smart things to the right people, they’ll all jump on your train and follow you. And that’s frightening to me. You can’t teach people to be independent thinkers, because true rebellion doesn’t seem to be hard-wired into most people. Everybody just wants to get along and be accepted.

And there is a big danger to that. Not only to finding personal identity and one’s own genuine life goals, but in living for the borg and always being a slave to the ideals of your culture of birth.

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