December Deductions 2020; Day 16

 Today is one of the most important lessons I have learned, at least when it comes to how to handle myself and how to see other people. 

 Difficulty is subjective, not objective.

Just to review, a concepts objective if it's true or false regardless of who believes it, talks about it, experiences it, etc. The existence of the Sun is objective, it either exists or doesn't regardless of what you or I think. A concept is subjective if it changes from person to person. Things like opinions and personal experiences tend to be subjective. For example, what a person's favorite flavor of ice cream might be is subjective, because it changes depending on the subject of that sentence (person). 

When I say difficulty is subjective, I'm talking about severity. The existence of difficulty is generally objective, but how one experiences it changes from person to person, and even when looking at the experiences of one person, it changes over time. What is easy for one person may be very difficult for another person, and what was easy once is not easy now. We've all run across these situations, but we rarely take the idea that difficulty is subjective to its natural conclusion. 

If difficulty is subjective, then any experience that has any level of difficulty may be vastly different from person to person, or from time to time. One great example of this is those with anxiety disorders often will be able to recite at least one instance where a very simple, easy task was so difficult that they still failed it, and it felt like everything was coming to an end. I'm speaking from personal experience when I say that spilling just a little water can be the final straw in an anxiety attack and leave you out of commission for days if you're dealing with an anxiety disorder or mood disorder. 

Since we know that experiences can be vastly different based on the subjective nature of difficulty, we naturally ask the question as to whether we can perceive the difficulty, so we can act accordingly. For our own situations, yes, we're generally able to understand how difficult something is for us. For others, however, it's not possible to simply see or measure the difficulty. Difficulty isn't really quantifiable, it can't be measured objectively, only aspects that can increase or decrease the difficulty. In short, no, we can't perceive the difficulty of what others are going through. 

That's a key takeaway here: you can never fully know how difficult a situation is for another person. You can sometimes guess, or even be told and therefore understand better, but there's something missing in how we perceive difficulty. Since we can't really compare it to our own concept of difficulty, we're never going to quite get it right. Since we cannot know how difficult something is for someone, aside from situations that require it, judgment of others in regards to how they handle the difficulty of a situation is ill-advised at best. 

I run by a rule of thumb every day, and although I have failed to live up to it multiple times, it's proven to be helpful for both my own sanity and in defining how I interact with others. That rule of thumb is as follows:

For your average person, unless they prove otherwise, they're generally doing their best. Some days, their best doesn't look great, but they're still putting forth the effort. 

I didn't fully understand how to apply this until I ended up psychologically disabled. The long and short of it is that for almost everything, the difficulty is exponentially higher for me now than it was before my decline, and for many things that almost anyone can, and should, do daily, I can't. I can't hold down a job, I can't maintain even contract employment, I can't even control my sleep schedule. I lacked the experience before to fully understand how much one's best can be limited. My best on any given day looks like shit compared to my best from several years ago, even on my best days. 

Now, take this rule of thumb with a grain of salt. It works well for me because it reminds me to treat other people with basic respect until they prove they don't deserve it, and to give people the basic benefit of the doubt. I've found if you apply it to most people you interact with, those you'll not likely interact with again or who's interactions are limited, you get along much better. Sometimes people make bad decisions in traffic that irk me, but if I remember that maybe something else is going on that I just don't get, I can take a breath and let it go, rather than seething for hours. Sometimes people put their desires before my needs, but they likely don't understand what my needs are, so I can accept that they're acting not out of sheer malice, but simple ego-centrism, a trait that I have to be aware of constantly in my own reactions. For every interaction that's small, it doesn't really cost me anything significant to grand the other people involved the benefit of the doubt, to treat them as if they're trying their hardest, but it makes the burden of that interaction much lighter in my mind. For interactions with people I've known for a long time, like coworkers (back when I was working), family members, friends, and other loved ones, giving them that simple benefit of the doubt often helps me learn to control my own impulses without getting upset, making my reactions more reasonable, and my day a little easier. But I can't say I have objective evidence for those claims, they're just extensions of the reasoning I put into the original conclusion that we shouldn't judge others too harshly without knowing all the facts. Try it out, see if it helps you feel better throughout the day. 

Alright, that's enough on this topic. As I've said before, if you've been following along I'll "see" you in the next post, and have a great day! Goodbye!

December Deductions 2020; Day 15

 When I was working on my bachelor's, I was blessed, or lucky, or however you wish to put it, to take a literature course taught by a professor that believed something I think we all should learn and apply:

If you're never offended, you're probably not learning. 

I like to take that to the next level. We've all heard someone say "it's your right to be offended," and that's true. Constitutionally, it's part of our first amendment rights. Ethically, it's something that happens in our heads and can't be stopped by anyone else. Personally, it's part of how we react the the world around us. But with every right comes responsibility. 

I believe it is out responsibility to be offended, fairly often, and to react accordingly. 

Allow me to explain with an example from my own life. If you ever get the chance, read "The Bluest Eye" by Toni Morrison. You may recognize the author's name, she's a truly amazing novelist. Between the years 1975 and 2018, she received 40 different awards for her work. She is an excellent author, and her book, "The Bluest Eye" offended me so deeply that I was forced to realize how much of a hypocrite I was. 

At the time in my life that I read the book, which was part of that aforementioned literature course, I had attested repeatedly that every human being deserves to be treated as a person. Perhaps I'll go into detail on that later, but part of that is allowing them to tell their story. That's a right, to tell their story as they see fit, it's part of freedom of speech but also part of how we should treat every fellow person. 

There is a passage in "The Bluest Eye" that takes the perspective of a child molester. Even now, just mentioning what the character was twists my stomach because to me there are few kinds of people that are worse than a child molester, if there are any. That passage treats the child molester just like every other character who's narrations filled the story up until that point. It treated them as a person, a human being, with complex thoughts and feelings, who did the right thing during the time of the narration. My immediate reaction was to become very, very offended. 

If you've been paying attention, you probably noticed the same thing I did moments later; my being offended was hypocritical. All Morrison had done was treat that character like a person, and let them tell their story. She treated them exactly as I had been demanding for years that everyone should be treated, but I was offended. This realization offended me even more deeply, because how dare someone point out to me, in my own mind no less, how I was failing to meet my own standards. 

In those moments, being offended was not merely my right, but my responsibility. It was my responsibility to respond to injustices both in the story and in my own mind, and reconcile them. The end result, for me, was to re-examine what I meant by person-hood, and why it was important. I grew from the experience, and my outlook has never been the same as it was before that day. But that's where the story ends, basically. 

That is part of the point of me saying "react accordingly." It is our right and responsibility to be offended, but it is not our right to use our being offended as justification to perform acts that harm others. Being offended is something that can help us grow, can help us acknowledge how others are fundamentally different, or at the very least help us understand where we draw the line on certain ideas. It does not grant us license to enforce our beliefs on others. 

Be offended. Be deeply offended. Consider what caused that offense, and whether or not it is worth being offended over. Consider whether or not you need to change because of what offends you. Maybe even express that offense to others, to let your voice be heard on the matter. There is nothing wrong with those actions. Even entering a debate with someone because something they said or did offended you can be very helpful to both parties, but do not fall into the trap of believing that because you are offended, you are right. 

If you're never offended, you're likely never exposing yourself to viewpoints other than ones with which you already agree. If you're never offended, you're likely not having the opportunities to grow that others are having, and you may stagnate. If you're never offended, you may not even know what you stand for or stand against. Be wary of never being offended. 

Now, I know you probably want to know how I changed from the experience from above, so I'll take the time to explain it, to lessen your worry. I reaffirmed that every human deserves to be treated as a person, but do not mistake person-hood with goodness. When we treat those among us that do very bad things as animals, we ignore the standard we should hold them to, and we ignore the reality that humanity is capable of horrible, horrible things. If an animal kills someone, we put it down, and often it is a tragedy. The animal could not understand, necessarily, that it shouldn't kill, it acted out of instinct. That is not true of a person. A person should be judged as one who could have done better, but chose not to. A child molester should not merely be put down because they are a broken animal, they should be held accountable for the lives they've absolutely destroyed, knowing that their victims were fellow humans, and refusing to care about that fact. In my personal opinion, a clean death is far too good for them, and the only way I can justify that belief is to believe that they must be treated as persons, not as animals. We do not dehumanize because that will give them an out, and all those like them. We give them the full benefits, and requirements, of humanity. We should treat them not as a broken animal, but a horrible human being, and the latter is far worse than the former. 

Don't let that make you believe that I think that all choices or mistakes should be judged as harshly. Those who suffer from substance abuse disorders will do horrible things because of those disorders; the proper treatment of them is to attempt rehabilitation. The same is true for those who live in such poverty that they commit crimes to meet their basic needs. Even those who commit crimes to fit in with their local subculture should be rehabilitated if at all possible. They are people, and if a person can be rehabilitated, it is better for everyone that they are. 

However, I understand if you disagree with me on either account. If what I said offended you, that doesn't mean you're wrong. It also doesn't mean you're right. It means you need to search yourself and decide for yourself whether you are right, wrong, or something else. And that is why I tell you to be offended, because being offended can be a very, very good thing if you use it correctly. 

Alright, that's all for today. As I've said before, if you're following along I will "see" you in tomorrow's post, and have a great day. Goodbye!

December Deductions 2020; Day 14

 So today we're going to learn a lesson I found out not by studying philosophy, psychology, anthropology, or sociology, but from studying literature. 

Everything is offensive. Everything has a problem. There is no such thing as an unproblematic narrative. 

Why does this matter? Well, it can come in handy some times, but in a basic sense I'm telling you this so you can understand that it is okay to enjoy things even if they don't get everything right, because nothing will. Think of the most unoffensive piece of media you can think of, then think of someone who would get offended anyway. It's not terribly difficult, especially in today's climate. 

One of the hardest lessons to learn is to separate criticism from enjoyment. There are certain things that are too offensive to be for me to enjoy, but that doesn't mean other people can't enjoy them. There are a lot of things that I personally enjoy that are offensive to other people. Most narratives that are meant to be very empowering to an otherwise disenfranchised segment of the population end up doing so by further marginalizing another population segment, and no, I'm not talking about the concept of "reverse racism." Here's a simple example: there is a novel we had to read and analyze for one of my literature classes that's mean to be very empowering to women, teen girls especially, and to the decedents of indigenous people in North America. It is, however, post-apocalyptic, and the way it decided to divide the world between haves and have-nots was based on prosthetic. Sure, it did put some focus on the unnecessary prosthetic, like cybernetic implants to let you change your eye color, but it didn't really point out a difference ethically between that and an eye to replace one that didn't work, or a replacement limb, etc. In fact, the main character is shown to be strong because she happens to need no such tools, she is even more capable than those that had access to them pre-apocalypse. In a very real sense, the author empowered young indigenous women by vilifying the disabled. 

But that was obviously not the intention, and although I can openly admit that the narrative is flawed, it's actually a pretty good book. Many, many other novels that I absolutely love make the same kind of mistake. Empowering people of color by marginalizing women; empowering women by marginalizing those with developmental disorders, empowering those with developmental disorders by vilifying the neurotypical, etc. etc. There's no such thing as an unproblematic narrative. 

Now, this concept also comes in handy because there's no such thing as a person without unnecessary bias. As we noted yesterday, we have to be willing to identify and at least try to adjust for our biases, but that's not terribly easy to begin with, and it's something that most people don't even attempt. This comes in handy when someone tries to make an argument by stating that they're ethically superior to someone else; if you have access to their public history, especially with social media, you can usually find some pretty easy examples of their own hypocrisy. 99 times out of 100, pointing it out is just going to piss them off, but let's be real, if they're not willing to listen to you because they think they're better than you, you could do worse than piss them off. In that last chance out of 100 though, they learn. They see their bias for what it is and can move forward. That's a wonderful thing, so sometimes it's worth being just a little bit of a jerk to help them understand that they too can improve. 

In the end, though, the main point of this is to not let your analysis take away your enjoyment. There are a lot of pieces of literature I love to pieces, but under an analytical eye have some serious problems. Understanding this will help you keep an open mind when running into someone who doesn't like what you do, but it will also help you learn to just shut down the criticism in your own mind sometimes so you can relax and enjoy a good story. 

Anyway, I hope today's post finds you well, and as I've said before, if you're following along I will "see" you in tomorrow's post, and have a great day. Goodbye!

December Deductions 2020; Day 13

 Today we're going to basically remind you of a simple fact: you're not always right.

I'm not always right. 

No one is always right, aside from a few potential instances of the supernatural, but we're not going to get into that today. 

Today's tip is to question yourself. Question your own beliefs, and be willing to address them when they prove to be less than accurate. 

In my life there have been two ways I've found beliefs to be inaccurate: either I am presented with information that directly contradicts them, or I act on them and do not get the desired result, often repeatedly. 

Here's an example of the first way: I used to believe that the personality tests that would give you a personality type like "INFJ" were actually based on solid science, that you could actually use them for something. Then one day my brother brings up the fact that they're only barely more scientific than the tests to choose your Hogwarts House. I didn't believe him, at all, so I went and looked it up. Turns out he was right, and I was wrong. The result was a few hours of mild psychological turmoil (changing beliefs is never easy), and eventually I was able to accept the new belief which happened to be more accurate. 

As an example of the second way, allow me to explain how I found out that luck is a prerequisite for success. I grew up, same as many millennials, believing that hard work, determination, and a little bit of talent were all you needed to be successful. Throughout my time in school, that seemed to be accurate, because as long as I put in a good deal of effort, I succeeded academically. Then I faced the real world, where an education is helpful, but doesn't often make up for luck. I knew people who worked their asses off to become professional actors, but didn't have the good luck to be "discovered" like the ones that get sent from all over the nation to Hollywood. I've known people who worked extremely hard to get a particular job, only to find that they lacked the connections that they couldn't have gotten from outside the industry without dumb luck. I, myself, enlisted in the military, working hard to try to become a career Chaplain, and never even got close. I had the bad luck of a severe psychological reaction to some part of training, and it resulted in my mind being permanently and debilitatingly compromised, enough so that a medical board ruled that I could not continue to serve. I literally served until I had military doctors tell me not to, and that was the end of my military career. 

Neither way has been pleasant, and the deeper held a belief is the harder it is to let go of. In fact, there's also a correlation between age and the ability to adjust one's beliefs; after about the age of 25, any change in a deeply held belief can cause significant psychological distress, and as you get older, it gets harder. Not impossible, but definitely not pleasant. That's not to say any change in belief will result in psychological distress, in fact there are many beliefs that we hold only temporarily, meant to change, like what you want for dinner one night, or how confident you are in the outfit you're wearing. 

In the end, if you want to know more about the world around you, and you want to use that information, you'll end up coming to a point where you either have to change your belief, or ignore reality. For a lot of people, they choose to ignore reality, but if you've been trying to get through these posts, you're probably not one of those people. If you choose to live what's called "the examined life" and let your beliefs match what you learn about the world around you, you're choosing a difficult path, but I believe that your life will be richer for it. 

Anyway, that's all for today. As I've said before, if you're following along I'll "see" you in the next post, and have a great day. Goodbye! 

December Deductions 2020; Day 12

 Alright, today is a pretty commonly known tip, but also one that is really easy to ignore because it's so common: 

Take Notes. 

If you're like me, you'll often have a thought or idea and figure, "no, that's too important, I'll remember it," and five minutes later it disappears. Or worse, only part of it stick around, like a conclusion without knowing how you got there, and therefore no way to convey the idea to someone else or even check to see if you were off base. 

The best thing I can recommend here is your handy-dandy computer that's always in your pocket. If you're on Android, Google Keep is a perfect tool. You can access your keep notes from the app itself, but also from any browser by logging into your Google account, so if you take a note while out and about, you can look at it on your computer when you get home. It has a feature to allow you to turn any note into a checklist very easily, and the checklist feature has been a life saver for me for to-do lists and shopping lists. The app is also available for Apple devices, but I don't know if it has all the same features; I haven't had an iPhone or any other iOS device since 2010. 

That being said, any method that works for you is good. If you prefer to keep a pad of sticky notes with a nib of a pencil in your pocket and just whip it out when you need to, then do it. If you prefer to use a voice recorder instead of writing, do it. If you think in pictures so you prefer to doodle or use the camera on your phone, do it. They key here is to allow you to access and assess your thoughts later on. 

That's all. As time goes on a lot of these tips and tricks are going to be shorter or just really specific, because large, general concepts are few and far between. 

As I've said before, if you're following along I'll "see" you in the next post, and have a great day. Goodbye! 

December Deductions 2020; Day 11

 Today's the break day. 

So here are a list of ten random free things I can do on the internet to feel better.

1. Google "Sea Bunnies." They're sea slugs that actually look like bunny blobs from RPGs. They're adorable. 

2. Google "Chuck Norris Jokes."

3. Go to reddit.com/r/eyebleach 

4. Watch old Homestar Runner cartoons on YouTube.

5. Listen to Yo-Yo Ma on Spotify.

6. Message a friend or family member.

7. Stream to Reddit using their Reddit Public Access Network software.

8. Watch Reddit Streams. Lots of nice stuff there. 

9. Write stuff and post it to my blog. 

10. Use Google maps to walk around a neighborhood virtually.

And a bonus, in case your internet is down: Go to Google and play the dinosaur runner game. 

Have a great day everybody! 

December Deductions 2020; Day 10

 Today I'm going to talk about one of the most important parts about learning in general. 

Learn to take a break. 

Seriously, burnout can come in a lot of different forms, but regardless of where it comes from or how it hits, it can basically knock you out. If you've been keeping up just with the stuff I've been posting, you may already be very, very exhausted with all of it. Even when you're having fun learning, it can be very tiring. 

So, do yourself a favor every now and then, and take a break. If you want to read but know it's time for a break, read something about nice, simple things that you can just enjoy. If you want to watch something, every now and then choose something that's just simple fun. Better yet, do so more than every now and then. Rest is good for you. 

To that end, today's post is going to be short, and tomorrow's post is going to be a bit of a break, something fun rather than a lesson on learning. I haven't yet decided the subject, but it's not going to be particularly serious, and I hope you can take the opportunity to just chill out for a couple days, relax, let your mind recuperate from the constant assaults I've been subjecting it to. 

Remember, you're doing a really good job, believe it or not. Even on days where you're having a hard time, changes are you're putting in all the effort, but sometimes things just happen to be really, really hard. A rule of thumb I have learned to love is that for anyone with which you interact, they're probably doing their best, but some days their best doesn't necessarily look that great. Keep that in mind and you'll find it's easier to work with people. But also keep it in mind for yourself; we're all doing our best, but some days our best just doesn't look that great. Doesn't change the fact that we're doing it, and frankly, it's hard enough to do our best as it is without expecting our best to always be amazing every day. Be kind to yourself, and above all, you'll be okay. 

Alright, that's all for today. As I've said before, if you're following along I will "see" you in tomorrow's post, and have a great day. Goodbye!

December Deductions 2020; Day 9

 Alright, so you may have already grasped this, but just in case anyone's unaware, no one gets this stuff right all the time. Even if you do get everything I could possibly teach you right, you can and will make mistakes, you'll make wrong choices, you'll let your emotions get the better of you, you'll lose control, or any number of other possible things that will make what I'm teaching you today really, really important. 

Today, we're going to talk about apologies. 

Let's start by saying that everyone, yes everyone, should learn how to give a proper apology. We've all met the people who think apologies are somehow an admission of weakness or defeat, or those that simply take pride in never apologizing. In general, they're working under the belief that apologies give someone power over you, but that's not really what they're about. 

According to Psychology Today, the main purpose of an apology is repairing hurts and wounds in relationships. This is definitely true, and it applies to just about every possible relationship, whether it be something as personal as your relationship with your significant other or family member, a professional relationship, or sometimes even the very impersonal relationships you briefly experience in passing online. Sometimes the wounds are to your own credibility and/or personal honor, and that relationship, the one you have with yourself, sometimes needs healing too. 

Now, we all remember as kids being told to apologize and getting away with a half-felt "I'm sorry," or at least I remember that. Maybe I was just a crappy kid and everyone else meant the "I'm sorry"s they gave, who knows. In any case, as adults, we should know by now that "sorry doesn't cut it." A good apology has three major parts; first you acknowledge what you did wrong and explain that you understand why it was hurtful, you state that you intend not to do it again and possibly offer explanation, and then you conclude by inviting them to comment, or follow up with them later at least. Let's take a closer look at those pieces. 

An acknowledgment of what went wrong is important, and how you phrase it is also important. The old advice is to use "I statements," like "I'm sorry" and "I said the wrong thing." The key there is to shift the focus of blame onto yourself, rather than shift blame away. That means that apologies that end up being basically "I'm sorry you feel bad," "I'm sorry I was taken out of context," and "I'm sorry you're so weak," are not good. The verbs should be yours. Avoid the passive voice, which is what they call it when "things happen," and avoid shifting blame to the intended recipient. 

Just to make it a bit clearer, here's a simple example of a proper acknowledgment. "I'm sorry, I misspoke and I understand that by doing so I made it seem like I blamed you. That wasn't my intention, but I can see that's how it came across." 

An acknowledgment alone might cut it, but usually it doesn't. If the relationship is simply a passing one, maybe they'll be fine with that, but any lasting relationship will need a statement about the future. Now, sometimes we make mistakes because of things we can't control; a really good example of that is when a psychological disorder affects our perception to where we fail to follow through on our own values. That happens to me when I experience an extreme adrenal reaction, and I'll say things that I do not mean, that are often untrue. When that happens, I definitely need to apologize, but it also affects what I can say about the future. 

That's where explanations come in. When you make a simple mistake that you can learn from, it's fairly easy to say you'll do your best to not let it happen again, and mean it. If you've never made an apology with that kind of explanation, you might want to explore how well you're learning from your own mistakes. When the mistake is something that will be much harder to change, then it helps to better explain yourself, like I did with the psychological issue above. In either case, it should be your goal to do better in the future, and you can tell them that. Here's an example of that portion of an apology:

"I didn't mean to say it like that. I got my wording mixed up and panicked, so I said it wrong. I get that what I said was not okay, and I will do my best to not let something like that happen in the future." 

The final step is to invite comment. This is important because part of the function of the apology, part of how it heals those wounds, is to let them know they're being heard. This is where they have a moment to, if they feel it necessary, apologize in return, or simply accept your apology. I don't know of a right way to get this part done, it seems to be entirely based on the context, but the goal here is to let them know that if they need to say something, you can listen. 

This is the least fun part of the apology, because you really do need to try to listen. That means you have to be willing to hear them out if they want to more fully explain why what you did hurt them, and that's not fun. It can make you feel even worse, but it is sometimes important to let them do that. If that happens, where they feel the need to make sure you understand how your actions affected them, it is usually a good idea to go through the first two parts again to re-communicate that you understand, and maybe show that your understanding has improved based on what they said. 

Finally, there's always the chance it "won't work." No one is obligated to accept an apology, no matter how sincere. If they don't accept it, you can try to ask them why and see if it something that can be addressed. Sometimes they just need time away from the problem, which may mean they need to be away from you, so they can process what happened. Sometimes they're just unwilling to accept. Sometimes they're like the people we mentioned above, where they think they've won by getting you to apologize, and will react in a toxic manner. In any of these cases, or many others, it's alright to go ahead and end the conversation there for a while. If the relationship involved is one that matters to you long term, be sure to gently follow up with them after you've given them some time. 

Now, let's cover some aspects of apologies that I didn't get into with just the structure. First, an apology is not truly about them. It's about you, how you did something that caused unnecessary harm, or even necessary harm. Even if they can't accept your apology, it will help you learn from your mistakes and learn to trust yourself if you apologize. It also may help others who witness it to understand that you're willing to admit when you're wrong, which is an important trait to have if you're trying to learn more about the world around you. Secondly, there are some tools that do not work well for apologies. If you absolutely need to text your apology, don't make it complex, that might lead to them reading into it and result in another miscommunication. A simple "I'm sorry for ____" will work, but be sure to follow up later in a better format. The same generally applies to Tweets or anything else with a character limit. If you can, take it to direct messaging, an email, or another more fluid method of communication, like a phone call. Finally, please remember to take your own mental health into account. If you're not ready to talk about part of your personality or psychology that leaves you prone to make a certain kind of mistake, then don't force yourself, just focus more on the "I'll try not to do it again" part. If the other person is being toxic, feel free to cut the conversation short, and maybe follow up later. An apology is an action of strength, not weakness, so don't let people use it to walk all over you. You're worth more than that, and that's really why we apologize, because we can be better, we want to be better, and we will be better. 

To sum up: apologize when you screw up, which you will do, because we all do. Acknowledge what you did or said, how it affected the other person, and that you will try to do better. Let the other person say their piece if you can, so that you fully communicate that their feelings and well-being matter to you. And don't let people use the fact that you apologized to hurt you. Just because you screwed up doesn't mean they get to treat you badly, it just means you're human, and frankly, if you can apologize you're better than many, and better than you were, so hold your head up high.

Alright, that's all for today. As I've said before, if you're following along I will "see" you in the next post, and have a great day. Goodbye!

December Deductions 2020; Day 8

 I'm going to cut right to the chase: today we're going to talk about the function of a homogenous dialect. Let's get started. 

Alright, first let me explain what a homogenous dialect is. In the USA, and in most of North America for that matter, we teach the same dialect of English in every school, even those who prefer homeschooling have to learn it. In general, it can be referred to as Academic English. Since we all learn it, whether it's our primary dialect or not, we all can generally use it and understand it. It's all the same, which is what "homogenous" means. So our homogenous dialect in the USA is Academic English. 

That does not mean that there are no other dialects of English present or used in the USA. There are plenty. Every urban center usually features multiple, and there are a bunch of rural dialects used throughout the USA. African American Vernacular English is a very well known and heavily studied dialect that used to be called Ebonics (there is some debate as to whether AAVE and Ebonics are the same dialect or two similar dialects). Almost everyone is aware of AAVE, though you may not know it by that name. It's the dialect most commonly used in urban areas in which African Americans are the primary residents. You may have heard it called "gangster." 

That's just one example. You're probably aware of other dialects and not even know it. If, for instance, you know that in the states of Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Michigan the words "ope" and "oh" are not synonymous, or if you know that the proper plural of "y'all" is "all y'all" rather than "y'alls," you're aware of different dialects of English. Yes, their usage often coincides with an accent. The difference is that dialects are what is spoken, accents are how its spoken. 

Now, that's all just to help you understand what a dialect is, and how we already have a lot of them in our various cultures and subcultures. Today I want to talk to you about the function of a homogenous dialect, because it seems to be a subject a lot of people have been misinformed about. I'm not saying they just got it wrong, I'm saying they were told wrong when they were taught the dialect, and that those teaching the dialect weren't told why they were teaching it. 

First and foremost, there is no such thing as "proper" English. No dialect is inherently superior to another, but some serve different functions better than others. Academic English is not a natural dialect, but rather constructed. It's built to function directly with reference materials, most notably dictionaries, thesauruses, and encyclopedias. If you run across a word you don't know in Academic English, it's deigned so that you can look it up and understand it. Academic English also happens to be the dialect that I choose to use the most, simply because it can have such clean and clear definitions. The same cannot be said of most other dialects. 

Why do we have it? Because it serves a very specific function very well. The purpose of a homogenous dialect is to allow people on one side of the nation to communicate with people on the other side of the nation, or anywhere in between, and be understood. There have been attempts to create an entire language this way, but they've generally failed, but it has worked with a homogenous dialect. It is also not the only tool developed for that purpose; in the USA we have an accent that was designed to be easily understood, which I tend to refer to as the "Hollywood Neutral" accent, but it's actually a variant on a lower-Midwestern accent. In the UK, they have what's called the "BBC Accent," which was developed for the same purpose. 

Why is that important? Because when we need to have information transmitted to the vast majority of our population, or even just a lot of people from across the nation, we need to be able to do so without worrying about something getting lost in translation. This is incredibly useful not only in situations where official information needs to get out, like emergencies or systems like the "Amber Alert" system, but also because it gives a vehicle for interaction for the size of organizations and super-organizations our society and economy thrive on. The business world uses Academic English almost exclusively when it comes to writing, but you'll still find other dialect used "on the ground" as it were, when interacting with customers. That way, you get a personable interface that provides meaningful interaction with people and organizations that might otherwise not understand that dialect, and we're able to do that because we teach Academic English to everyone, while still allowing them to develop their own speaking skills with their peers, family, and community. 

Now, here's where I start to get offensive. Most English teachers in academia seem to have the reasoning for this wrong. They will tell their students that they teach Academic English because it's the correct way to read or write English, but as I said, that's not a real thing. All dialects are viable dialects, they just have different properties that make them more or less useful for certain purposes, and Academic English is specifically designed to be good for the purpose it serves. You learn basic Academic English in compulsory education because we need all citizens to be able to understand a certain level of official and unofficial communication. You learn more advanced Academic English, mostly focusing on writing, because having that skill is an unwritten prerequisite for promotion above a certain level in any industry. If you need to communicate regularly with people via writing, you benefit from that education. That's why many technical schools and trade schools still feature English courses. You're not being taught these things for arbitrary reasons, or because they're "right," language doesn't have an inherent moral or ethical value like that. You're being taught them because it benefits you, and it benefits your community, whether that be local, business, national, or even international. Almost anyone who speaks any dialect of English can understand Academic English, so knowing it and knowing how to use it opens up opportunities for communication and interaction. 

TL;DR: We all learn the same form of English, Academic English, because it helps us and it helps our society, not because it's "right" or "good" or anything arbitrary like that. That doesn't mean your primary dialect is wrong, it just means you can benefit from the additional tool that is Academic English. 

That's it for today. I fully expect for some educators to be very, very upset with me, but I meant what I said. It's up to you how honest you want to be with your students, but especially if they're adults, you probably should be willing to tell them that they're learning it because it can help them, not because some dude named Webster decided it's the right way to go. 

As I've said before, if you're following along I will "see" you in the next post, and have a great day. Goodbye! 

December Deductions 2020; Day 7

 Today's the day you've all been waiting for: we're wrapping up my tips and tricks specifically about word choice.

Tip 5: Putting It All Together and Why

Alright, so let's summarize each of the previous tips, then we'll cover the connections and the overall theme. 

Our first tip was to be aware of vernaculars, but let's simplify that again. Be aware of different sets of words and how they're used differently based on context. Be aware of it for when others' use it, and be aware of it when you do it, so you're ready to answer the question as to "why". It will also help you identify when public statements aren't *exactly* what a person means due to the need to avoid legal issues, as happens with news media very often. 

Our second tip was to be specific with your meanings, and be sure of the meanings of others. Be willing to explain the definition you're using, and be willing to ask respectfully for someone else's used definition if you think there might be a miscommunication. 

Our third tip was to not be an uninvited editor. Believe it or not, grammar Nazis pretty much derail conversations. If you're looking to learn more, you don't want a derailed conversation. 

Our fourth tip was to avoid attacking people, but rather judge and argument or claim by its merit. Look for evidence, look for good reason, etc. Attack the argument, not the arguer. 

Now, the whole reason for this is because we're all here to try to learn more about the world. That goal of learning more and the goal of "winning" an argument by beating the "other side" are mutually exclusive. If you want to learn more, and you want to be someone who helps others learn more, you need to let go of the feeling that you need to "win." If you can't let go of the feeling, at least follow through on the actions, and be careful with what you say so you don't derail the conversation yourself. That being said, don't torture yourself by staying in a conversation where you're being attacked without hope of getting it back on track towards the truth. 

I know today's post is short, but I figured all of us could use a bit of an easier day. 

As I've said before, if you're following along, I will "see" you in the next post, and have a great day. Goodbye.