Puppy love

 My job this evening is to be a dog bed.  It’s apparently a role that I fulfil reasonably well since I’m so often called upon to do it!  He went out today for a couple of walks which have tired both of us out, and I need to rest because my back is a bit sore.  I’m glad that I’m able to take him out (and that the weather is cooperating!) as I’m definitely stronger than I was, say, at the beginning of summer.  I can walk further without my cane, and my balance is improved, so that’s all to the good!  While my back hurts when I’m tired, I can manage to stand longer and move more easily before I need to rest, and I don’t need as long to recover as I did a few weeks ago.  I’m actually being optimistic that I will be able to climb stairs easily… or maybe even squat?  Who knows?  Don is still slowly improving, although he complained that his appetite is poor — we seem to be taking turns with that!  I will have moments where I feel famished, but can only eat a few bites before I feel stuffed, but I’m able to eat regularly, so that’s good.  I actually did some cooking (scrambled eggs and toast) today and for the second night in a row I was able to sleep without being woken by low sugar readings.  (I’ve been enjoying a square of chocolate before bed… I highly recommend it 😂). Lots of good, positive news today, long may it last.

I came to realize that I have a couple of flaws when it comes to judging people.  I know, I was shocked too to admit that my perfection was less than complete 😝  But I found that I have a tendency to utterly dismiss someone if they, even once, espouse a viewpoint that I find repugnant — with very limited exceptions.  This usually applies to politicians or other prominent people who, by profession, tend to be in the public eye.  So if there’s one who speaks in support of a racist group (once is enough) then anything they say after that, in my opinion, is tainted and not to be treated with any credibility.  Or someone has a misogynistic opinion — after that, they could have the answers to all the mysteries of the universe, and I will not hear them.  I’ve actually changed my opinion of some public figures who I had once admired because they espoused a racist viewpoint.  I have a rigid line on that, and a list of people who I have consigned to the outer darkness.

I know that they don’t care in the least about my opinion.  After all, who am I?  Just a middle-aged woman who retired because of illness; one of the nameless, faceless masses with neither wealth nor power nor influence.  But there are some things that I consider to be so egregious that I won’t support them by reposting, nor will I add to engagement counts and I will tune out if friends express support of them.  I know that everyone is entitled to their own opinion, and I respect that, but by the same token I am under no obligation to promote hateful content.  I know that those individuals have a following, (sometimes including my friends) so there are people who admire or at least agree with their opinions, but I don’t understand how viewpoints supporting hate can gain traction.  Recently, a friend sent me a video from one of these neemakharams saying, “watch to the end; he makes some good points.” The speaker talked about how people of colour were all lazy, criminal, drains on society… you know the rubbish.  I said to my friend that if he was promoting that, then I had to interpret it that he agreed and supported and therefore he thought that I (as a woman of colour) fell into that category.  Of course he denied that.  Of course he said that I must have misinterpreted what the speaker meant.  Of course he tried to justify it as “free speech” and I pretended to listen.  

I won’t apologize for having these views, nor will I necessarily sit quietly if friends dive into the cesspools of the followers of these characters.   I find it distressing that so many people want to believe that they’re oppressed because the culture is changing around them and women and marginalized people are being recognized as full members of society.  How can you tell if you’re oppressed or just inconvenienced?  If you’re thrown in jail for decades for encouraging women to vote, you’re oppressed.  If you’re in danger of being killed for trying to educate girls and women, you’re oppressed.  If you are at risk of imprisonment for saying a prayer — oppression.  If you can publicly insult your government, you’re not oppressed.  If you can openly express an opinion contrary to the widely held viewpoint, you’re not oppressed.  If you can complain that the media censors its content while being covered by the media you’re definitely not oppressed.  And as for the “if you want diversity, then diversity means having different viewpoints,” argument, it’s true that diversity covers a wide range, but it doesn’t include everything.  There are some views that can be excluded because they are isolationist or revisionist or obviously contrary to reality.  For instance, if someone were to argue that the sun rises in the west, it’s definitely not something to be considered because it’s empirically false, and no argument about inclusion will make it true.  

I really have to put my soapbox in an inaccessible location… or else I have to get people to stop spreading nonsense and asking me to agree with them.  Because then I go on a rant like this and it can disturb my equanimity.  I will now go pet the tiny dictator, who has been sitting on my toes and looking up at me with reproof in his tiny button eyes… Please excuse me, my night job of puppy tummy masseuse is due to start!  Good night!