Its a shame repressive societal forces twist and blunt personal development

[Skip Intro]

Hypocrisy boils my blood, especially when those who choose to tell others what is right and moral are the hypocrites. And further think themselves exempt from their own rules.


Craig helped to build his own prison cell.


But the real shame is why he did it - why certain people have seen fit to deem themselves judge and jury over others. Those who know, without a doubt, what is right and moral and coerce acquiescence through fear and punishment. The shame is a society which takes an alleged message of peace, love, and acceptance from a possible son of a possible God and churns the meaning into one of hate, intolerance, and stigma. In the name of freedom, no less.

It is an ingrained and institutionalized bigotry and repression that tangles natural development. That is what is a shame.

[patrice]

1. My eight years in public and private highschool classrooms confirm

what you are saying, in the specific instance of sexual orientation, and in the general class of phenomena associated with personal development.

The hypocrisy you refer to is a, perhaps THE, Shame of who and what "we" are; it costs us inestimable losses, perhaps even of such things as a cure for cancer, or solutions to pressing technological needs, or even higher-order mental abilities that we are unaware of as yet.

I am sorry to say, **not all**, but enough of previous generations, "Great" or otherwise, NEED subsequent generations to proove to them that the things that they sacrificed (sexuality, work, leisure time, talents ignored, money, whatever) . . . the things they sacrificed for _____________ were not sacrificed in vain. They want a "quid pro quo" for their lives. Unlike their "Savior", Jesus on the Cross, they assume their own definition of righteousness is a guarantee of reward and they oppress anyone who brings that into question. This NEED for proof in the living blood of the Young is their/our fundamental Hypocrisy and The Source of much that is wrong with "us", including things such as Abortion.

[patrice]

2. BTW, I think a lot about hypocrisy. What are your ideas on why it

seems to be almost instinctually infuriating? Do you agree that hypocrisy seems universally to produce deep and reflexive anger? Why would we be wired that way?

[Skip Intro]

3. hypocrisy is universally repulsive, yes I agree

why we are wired that way I don't know. I guess we may be, in essence, beings who are composed of and drawn to purity, honesty, light, and the perversion of those very ideals elicits an immediate rejection on all levels of our psyche.


hell, it could be a survival instinct

[patrice]

4. That's my opinion after nearly 60 years of widespread human relationships

Survival requires reality/truth. Those who say one thing and do another are a threat to survival.

Hypocrisy, thus, is a universally hard-wired turn-off. I heard recently that the '06 elections turned on "corruption". I would say the deeper issue is Hypocrisy. People are annoyed by corruption, but they will tolerate it if they can benefit something from it, without getting caught. Hypocrisy, which is the foundation of corruption, is much more universal in the reaction it provokes. It functions at the same level as the Fear the Rovian politics employs.

When corruption is exposed, it should be very explicitly linked to Hypocrisy.