Forums of the Libertarian Left

[Forty_Ounce]

I think we live in a sad, immature society. I saw this article

http://www.komonews.com/news/51386562.html

And it made me lament the public's reaction to these people. Why is the concept of compersion so alien to most of society? Why do people react to polyamory with "shock" and "controversy"?

And why do people NOT react with "shock" and "controversy" when JEALOUSY is expressed, but they DO react negatively when the opposite of jealousy is expressed?

Fucking knee-jerk reactionary monogamists. I mean, I got no problem with monogamy itself, but I do have a problem with people who automatically assume monogamy for themselves, and then extend that assumption to everyone else.

[Forty_Ounce]

Looks like compersion is a foreign concept to this board as well.

[Marja]

I have no idea what compersion is, but I'm amazed that three straight people can make that work, when many queer people can't.

[Francois Tremblay]

If compersion has to do with daisy chains then I'm all for it.

[Vichy]

I'm amazed people care that much about eachothers relationships in the first place. I don't care about anyone's romantic or sexual life. They're utterly boring, and usually they end up whining for something that's their own doing. But I suppose that's how I feel about most people's lives in general.

[Forty_Ounce]

I have no idea what compersion is, but I'm amazed that three straight people can make that work, when many queer people can't.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compersion

In the context of this thread I am using the word to mean sharing in the joy another person feels, rather than becoming jealous or envious at their joy.

[Forty_Ounce]

I'm amazed people care that much about eachothers relationships in the first place. I don't care about anyone's romantic or sexual life. They're utterly boring, and usually they end up whining for something that's their own doing.

Sex is boring? I suppose it could be for some.

But I suppose that's how I feel about most people's lives in general.

Do you have any people in your life that you consider a friend? Are there any people in your life whose well being and mood and feelings are of concern to you, at all?

[Vichy]

Sex is boring? I suppose it could be for some.

Depends on the sex, but more specifically I meant other people's sex is boring, especially if it's not on video.

Do you have any people in your life that you consider a friend? Are there any people in your life whose well being and mood and feelings are of concern to you, at all?

I do have a number of close friends, but generally speaking these are not the sorts of things they talk to me about, and typically not what they care about. I'm more likely to get into an excited conversation about Churchill's alcoholism than someone's girlfriend's actions etc.

[Forty_Ounce]

Sex is boring? I suppose it could be for some.

Depends on the sex, but more specifically I meant other people's sex is boring, especially if it's not on video.

Do you have any people in your life that you consider a friend? Are there any people in your life whose well being and mood and feelings are of concern to you, at all?

I do have a number of close friends, but generally speaking these are not the sorts of things they talk to me about, and typically not what they care about. I'm more likely to get into an excited conversation about Churchill's alcoholism than someone's girlfriend's actions etc.

Point taken. Ok but lets get back more to the real topic of this thread: jealousy vs compersion. Lets suppose that you witnessed someone you were attracted to having a fun romantic/flirty time with someone besides you. Do you imagine that you would feel jealous, envious, happy, complete indifference (as you implied earlier), or something else entirely?

[Vichy]

Point taken. Ok but lets get back more to the real topic of this thread: jealousy vs compersion. Lets suppose that you witnessed someone you were attracted to having a fun romantic/flirty time with someone besides you. Do you imagine that you would feel jealous, envious, happy, complete indifference (as you implied earlier), or something else entirely?

I don't care what people do in their own time. It is foolhardy to attempt to control them anyways, I haven't nearly enough power and (if I did) it wouldn't be worth it. I find jealousy comical.

[Forty_Ounce]

I don't care what people do in their own time. It is foolhardy to attempt to control them anyways, I haven't nearly enough power and (if I did) it wouldn't be worth it.

I'm not so sure you understood the point to my question. Your answer implies (perhaps mistakenly) that you have no friends or at least don't have any emotional investment in any other person, at least not to the degree that you would have any emotional reaction to something that happened to them.

I find jealousy comical.

Wow, an actual answer! Well, a partial answer... Vichy, do you also find empathy and compersion to be comical?

[Vichy]

I'm not so sure you understood the point to my question. Your answer implies (perhaps mistakenly) that you have no friends or at least don't have any emotional investment in any other person, at least not to the degree that you would have any emotional reaction to something that happened to them.

Perhaps I should be more specific: I try to limit myself to caring about people I have control over who are directly imposing or improving upon my life. Likewise, what I care about tends to be limited to a certain sphere of things I can understand of as limiting real (largely material) interests; as with people I must actually possess some control over the events. As a consequence, many things people care about, I don't and many things people like, I despise.

Wow, an actual answer! Well, a partial answer... Vichy, do you also find empathy and compersion to be comical?

I find empathy to be, mostly, boring. I hardly care what other people feel, how other people feel because of their imagination as to the feeling of yet another party is just...bleh. Like people who get upset because A talked negatively to B. I couldn't give a fuck. If I do have any response, it is likely to be laughter.

[Forty_Ounce]

Empathy and jealousy are equally ridiculous to you? Emotions are boring? I guess youre not much of a people person.

[Vichy]

Empathy and jealousy are equally ridiculous to you? Emotions are boring? I guess youre not much of a people person.

My emotions are interesting to me, and I do find some other people's emotions (or rather, the apparent manifestation of such emotions) to be interesting to the extent that they bear on my own values. But insofar as me not being a people person, that's true. I can't even have a conversation with most people, the 5 people I do talk to regularly tend to be amoral intellectuals and hermits like myself.

[Forty_Ounce]

My emotions are interesting to me, and I do find some other people's emotions (or rather, the apparent manifestation of such emotions) to be interesting to the extent that they bear on my own values. But insofar as me not being a people person, that's true. I can't even have a conversation with most people, the 5 people I do talk to regularly tend to be amoral intellectuals and hermits like myself.

Interesting. I read a blog post somewhere that claimed you're an aspie. I'm also an aspie, and I have always had a strong desire to connect with others and a strong interest in others emotions, although admittedly I'm not always good at acting on those desires successfully. From what I've read, most aspies enjoy socializing with others, but are simply bad at it. I guess with you that's not the case, perhaps cause you find people to generally be annoying.

[Vichy]

I guess with you that's not the case, perhaps cause you find people to generally be annoying.

Annoying and utterly boring.

[Forty_Ounce]

I guess with you that's not the case, perhaps cause you find people to generally be annoying.

Annoying and utterly boring.

I, for one, usually find trainwrecks to be fascinating, if only momentarily so.

So when it comes to humans, do you consider yourself pessimistic? Im generally an optimist when it comes to humans, if for no other reason than that most of them are so worthless that they have nowhere to go but up from there. And sometimes I am surprised by the things I find in them after digging a little deeper.

[Vichy]

So when it comes to humans, do you consider yourself pessimistic?

Apathetic, I don't concern myself over their ultimate or general fate, and if I had the power to influence it (which I don't), I wouldn't - I'd just smash it all up and build the world in my own image.

[Stoub]

So when it comes to humans, do you consider yourself pessimistic?

Apathetic, I don't concern myself over their ultimate or general fate, and if I had the power to influence it (which I don't), I wouldn't - I'd just smash it all up and build the world in my own image.

If I had the power to influence it (and I do because I'm just that hot shit in a wine glass, rather than cold diarrhea in a dixie cup) I'd conquer it all and... *realizes he's saying this on a LL forum* ...liberate it?

No I jest, I'd probably just leave it as it is. Why the hell not? It's kinda amusing isn't it?

Seriously if you saw a big spec of dirt floating in the midst of nothingness. And little tiny ants are all over the world and acting silly, chaotic and stupid in a pseudo orderly fashion.

Wouldn't you be a tiny bit amused? Sure they're killing each other, starving, living their lives; but they're just ants. If one of that billion in a mass dies, would you really give a damn? Different topic though for a different time.

[Vichy]

I've got better uses for the resources than ants.

[Stoub]

All I know is at least if the Ants had you as their deity Vichy, at least they'd be dying for something.

Me? I'd try to find the most twisted way possible to take them out. Whether it be lighting a fat man's fart on fire or simply smashing each one individually. And maybe if I felt like it I'd take the resources and serve myself... make that indulge myself.

[Forty_Ounce]

If I had the power to influence it (and I do because I'm just that hot shit in a wine glass, rather than cold diarrhea in a dixie cup) I'd conquer it all and... *realizes he's saying this on a LL forum* ...liberate it?

You fucked up the figure of speech, homeslice. Its should say something like "Im hot snot on a silver platter, not cold boogers on a plastic plate."

Seriously though, you made a funny variation of it.

[Forty_Ounce]

I've got better uses for the resources than ants.

Can you support that assertion?

[Stoub]

If I had the power to influence it (and I do because I'm just that hot shit in a wine glass, rather than cold diarrhea in a dixie cup) I'd conquer it all and... *realizes he's saying this on a LL forum* ...liberate it?

You fucked up the figure of speech, homeslice. Its should say something like "Im hot snot on a silver platter, not cold boogers on a plastic plate."

Seriously though, you made a funny variation of it.

Well toh-may-toh and tah-mah-toh. Right?

[Vichy]

Can you support that assertion?

Certainly, but of course value is subjective.