Welcome home! Please contact lincoln@icrontic.com if you have any difficulty logging in or using the site. New registrations must be manually approved which may take several days. Can't log in? Try clearing your browser's cookies.
Who dares wins?
ownerof1000oddsocks
Veteran
Here are three examples of real life situations. I’m sure many of you are familiar with at least two of them.
1. Special forces operative a in desert patrol eyeing the horizon in possession of a machine gun (wearing shades).
2. Man wearing shades and blasting down the road in a sports car at 60 mph in a 30 mph zone, aggressive beats pumping out of the speakers.
3. Guy in a club wearing shades. Another man approaches and says: ‘nobody wears shades in a club. What are you doing?’
What could I say about these situations? In the first example, the guy is comfortable being in danger and wearing sun specs to keep the eyes fully functional. In the second example, maybe the guy is comfortable being in a dangerous situation thinking the music and shades have an element of coolness, and generally demonstrating a survival edge. In the third example, maybe the guy doesn’t care about being in a dangerous situation and is just having a good time. Wellies on a fun-run? Cross Dressing in the park? This guy just defies many social taboos.
What the three examples have in common is the advantage or edge a person in one of the three examples might have over other people. The second is the level of seriousness or respect we apply to each. I, for example, would have more respect for number 1, and question number 2 and 3. Number 1 might not even be a threat even when I insult them, they would just laugh. Number 2 might be insulted and come after me. Number 3 probably wouldn’t care.
All of these examples have different qualities, but they all relate to what we socially approve (or disapprove of). In my case, my approval is based on the level of seriousness I apply to each example, a low level of seriousness implying a non threat, to my advantage, or someone I can joke with. .
It’s interesting how humour can diffuse a situation because realistically most people seem to want to get along rather than be disrespected and made to feel inferior- treated lightly or indifferent- but it’s also strange that people would choose to be stand-offish to achieve that effect… maybe that’s not the choice we’re handed.
Laughter seems to be a response to fear, a tonic for the incomprehensible: how do they manage that? How do they cope? The noisy ones are regarded the most, the quiet ones not often.
I’m not sure what my point is but maybe you have something to add.
0