Looking Around – Feb 20th 2022
I was just reading a weird book, “The Last Man Takes LSD” which is about Foucault and apparently, eventually, about how a certain acid trip in the Death Valley helps him re-write a bunch of The History of Sexuality. But mainly it’s gotten me thinking about normalization again, and the contexts in which certain messages are received / not received by people. I said something in a drunk conversation last night along the lines of – people are just going to understand the world based on the contexts that they’ve already lived, and it’s slightly useless to try to convince people that certain things “matter” if they lack the context to agree.
I’m still not sure if I totally agree, but drunk Matt’s point was that all you could really do in life if you wanted to change the world was be a good neighbor, literally or metaphorically. If you are a part of someone’s context, then help them understand what you are insecure about – the places in which you need most help – and let them come to answers within that context. On the other hand, listen intently to the people closest to you, because through their dilemma’s you’ll understand what you care about. In the meantime, relax, you’re not going to change the world from your fricking bedroom. You’re just preaching to the choir.
But there is something to be said about helping people understand a good story. I have really stubborn roommates who will on occasion relent to a point if it’s presented in a logical or relatable way. But even then, that story only relates because it exists within some small part of their context. I suppose the real question is when someone has dueling experiences, each sympathizing with one side of a contentious point, how does one prevail over the other? Is it just a matter of which was more recent? Which is tied closer to a fear response? Which one is tied closer to loved ones? It must be a function of how clearly each situation is presented.
I just realized this whole conversation about who can influence whom and who can change things for whom is tied very closely to the idea of language as resistance – something I wrote a long paper on. Maybe I’ll try to summarize it tomorrow. I also have a book called “On Microfacism” which I haven’t opened yet, but may be part of this little wonky thought.
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