h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Yep... I'm not very tolerant of trigger warnings. I understand that some folks have experienced trauma in their lives, and I can appreciate that. But it's like trying to avoid offending people. You can't. And you know what happens to people when they are offended? Nothing, that's it. I'm not going to censor myself to avoid offence nor anxiety. People that need trigger warnings need to find some way to cope or avoid such situations until they can. That may be insensitive, but that's the way I see it. Political correctness becomes oppression if it's not moderated.

it's not "Political Correctness" though, is it?

We're all connected to loads of things all the time. And we see things because of that, that we're not expecting. Now if it's Game Of Thrones (other shows are available) spoilers it's slightly annoying. Especially if it's before it's even available where you are. If it's an explicitly triggering article about something, that contains the trigger in the title, and you go on, say, facebook to see what your friends are up to, and one of your friends has commented on such a thing - BANG! there it is. And you may have had a good weekend, day, whatever - and there you have it. Triggered.

And it can lead to all sorts of awful consequences for you. And others.

So while I agree that for some people it's completely trivial, for others it can be life changing. If you have, say, PTSD, and are trying to get your life on track, do normal things, have normal relationships in the way we all do these days, you can't.

And you may say: tough, get off social media. But it is an integral part of everyday life, so in effect what you're (we're) saying is: well, tough that you have PTSD (or whatever) and good that you're trying to live a normal life. But you can't because some of us think we should be free to do whatever it is we like and tough cheese.

I realise that I come across as a grumpy PC (gosh how I hate that expression - it is only used by people complaining about having to think about what they say or do, not people asking you to consider what consequences your words/actions may have) old bag. But I also think that we can all make the world a nicer place if we try to think how other people live their lives too.

Please note: none of the above is directed personally at anyone in particular.

other note: i have several friends with PTSD with differing causes. They all react differently to different triggers.

I'm not saying it should be a free-fire zone online or elsewhere. I do think many in our society could benefit from some common courtesy and manners. But life is compromise. I have seen some perfectly reasonable conversations derailed by so called Social Justice Warriors; and I count myself in that group on many topics. Sometimes though it goes much too far, the example above for instance.

It's certainly not a black-and-white issue, and there are some conditions, such as PTSD, which I understand is something that a person can't do anything about, but at this point I have to bring out a story I've probably told before. I saw a bloke get beaten up at work one day. Two other people from work punched him to the ground and then proceeded to kick him until his brother, who also worked there, and a few others pulled them off (and gave them a bit of a kicking too).

That evening there was a Tom and Jerry cartoon on, and I couldn't watch it because of the cartoon violence. And it stayed that way for a couple of days, after which I had no trouble with Tom and Jerry, or anything with violence (cartoon or otherwise). I didn't consider calling the BBC and demanding they stop showing Tom and Jerry.

Now, though, it seems to me that people *are* more demanding about such things, have lost the sense that the world doesn't revolve around them, and if something unpleasant happens to them will take the opportunity the be a victim. I wish I could remember one of the many news stories which exemplify this, but of course I can't, nor did I bookmark any of them. You don't, do you.

People have lost resilience. A 'poor me, pity me' attitude seems to be far more prevalent than it used to be. Or perhaps it's just being reported more because rolling news needs more news to report. There's always that possibility, and also the possibility that's what news editors want to focus on because it tugs at readers' emotions. I hate that about news, and it's nothing new. Conversely, they also love to report people who fight back and have a go.

Another attitude that seems to have grown is the truly oppressive one - political correctness. Particularly being politically correct toward victims, whether they actually are or have made themselves out to be (see above). We can be thoughtful and considerate to people we know who have some kind of problem, but we can't do it to the whole world (on social media), nor should people expect the whole world to treat them with kid gloves and wrap them in cotton wool.

At this point I'm going to have to break off otherwise I'll miss my bus to work.

It also doesn't help that organisations (mostly) are fueling the victim mentality by falling over themselves to apologise for anything and everything, whether they could have done anything about it or were actually responsible (acts of God/Nature).

well as I said before, people who use the words 'political correctness' aren't generally the ones who are asking for a bit of consideration. That expression is exclusively used by people complaining about not being able to, frankly, act like a bit of an inconsiderate berk.

I'm not saying that all trigger warnings are sensible or desireable, but I do think that in saying "people nowadays aren't as robust" we're perpetrating the kind of attitude that sees men bottle up emotion until they harm themselves (or others). By saying that people nowadays are weaklings we're saying that it's not a good thing to be able to let these things out and talk about them.

At the weekend a feminist group I belong to on facebook had a discussion about facebook's reluctance to ban a group about snuff movies which has a very distressing profile picture. It certainly looks like a still from what could be one of those movies and is indescribably brutal.

I found it tasteless and it gave me pause for thought. Another women in the group, however, had an awful episode and her partner contacted us to ask that if we were going to speak about things like that, we hide the images so that we don't trigger people who might be affected, but who might also be able to contribute to the conversation in a valuable way.

It just seems to me to be degrees. For me it's about thinking a little tiny bit more about what you do, post, say, write or link to, and try to have a little understanding about other people's lives.

I don't think it has anything to do with being a SJW (an insult if I ever heard one, tbh, and not an expression I'm comfortable with) and has everything to do with creating a society that is a bit more caring and thoughtful rather than me-me-me-me.

When my father died unexpectedly two years ago, Father's day totally blindsided me (mostly because it's not a big thing here and on a different day entirely) - I did see a lot of posts on social media at that time asking for people not to post about it for fear of upsetting people like me, or people who had been abused by their fathers as children etc. That is a step too far, for me, as Father's day is a fixed thing.

But asking people to be a bit more circumspect and maybe err on the side of caution doesn't seem to me to be unreasonable.

No words
http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/article/33405639/man-in-america-dies-after-trying-to-launch-firework-off-head

Hmmm... reminds me of a YouTube video I saw once of a self proclaimed stunt man covering a Slip & Slide® with naptha (lighter fluid), lighting it, and sliding across it wearing nothing but cargo shorts. The worst of the burns occurred where he was wearing the shorts as they soaked up the burning naptha. He was later put in an induced coma while recovering from his 2nd & 3rd burns for 15 days and spent 4 weeks in ICU.

http://boingboing.net/2015/07/04/man-mocks-alligator-alligator.html

That sounds like a splendid idea

But a perfect opportunity to wheel this video out again Where *did* that hammer end up?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n5VoXx3QNuo

Speaking of disappearing objects, where does this ball go?

http://vine.co/v/h5UV1h22xKx

Why am I suddenly thinking of that time I went to Wembley Arena (when it was still the Empire Pool) to see the Harlem Globetrotters

Some of the most evenings of my life have spent in that building. Wings Over America, Genesis (Lamb Lies Down on Broadway), Barry Manilow (three... or was it four times?), and something on ice when I was a kid that I can't remember. And the Harlem Globetrotters.

The consensus seems to be that the ball rolls away behind the kid in the yellow shirt. It plausible enough for me. It's either that, F.M. (ing), or Eddy's in the Space/Time Continuum again.

Yeah, it looks like the kid in the black shirt pushes it off to the left of frame, but you can't see it going away.

I blame Eddy... or possibly 2legs.

oh, I saw the Harlem Globetrotters at Wembley Arena. They played the English goalkeepers, who all wore a number 1 on their green goalie shirt (what happened to those? they're all multicoloured these days)

fantastic show

"A bunch of people tried to prove that they were not racist. That was not the point. We wanted to talk about why this event is cultural appropriation."
http://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-trending-33450391

Translation: "We're right and you're wrong and we'll keep hounding you until you give up. Even if you're right and we're wrong. All that matters is we're right and that's that".

So goes social media

Yep. If I try real hard I can see their point. For instance, if visitors were offered the opportunity to don black face in front of a Little Sambo painting, their outrage would be appropriate. Or if they were posing in front of some of the anti-Japanese propaganda caricatures* from WWII there'd be no question of whether it is racist or not.

But this isn't the same thing. Sure they're in the same spectrum. There is just a hint of insensitivity, but it doesn't rate this reaction.





*BTW, did you know Dr. Seuss was a propagandist? For a fascinating look at some of his war time editorial cartoons see this site: http://library.ucsd.edu/speccoll/dswenttowar/index.html
I saw part of a college lecture by this historian, Richard H. Minear, on one of the very high numbered channels on my satellite system about 15 years ago. I think I'll be exploring this site for a while tonight.

Oh, darn. I was hoping their would be some discussion about context for these cartoons on the website, some of the things that were discussed in that lecture I saw.

Oh, well. Still, it's an interesting collection.

Oh dear. Beards have made it as far as the Tour de France now

They can't be proper Hipsters, they are not riding an old fashioned, cast iron, single gear bike with massive handlebars and panniers