If people do identify it as a negitive symbol, even though it was never meant that way, it will become that. It will start to divide people into groups (us and them). Maybe this is partly the fault of the engineers who wear it and act in a disrespectful way to others, maybe it is a result of other people feeling inferiour for some reason (not as much education?).
This rant has been in my head for a while, but what triggered me to write about it was an article that Karen wrote about and the dialog that followed. I feel symbols are great. I like them when they have a positive connotation. I feel that they are detrimental when they are used to divide groups. As I am sure that I have ranted on before, that's my biggest complaint about religion. Not that it is used to unite people and "bring them into the light" of whatever religion (which is great), but more that it is used to divide people. Is this division worth the good parts? That is a call that each person has to decide. I would say that most people that I know would say yes, but no one that I know has ever been repressed, alienated, or persecuted because of their religion. Those people who have might have a different answer, but maybe not. It all depends on their level of faith.
Personally, I think that acceptance, understanding, empathy and tolerance are things that people should focus on. Maybe if that happened more things would fall into place. But I am sure that everyone is already doing this. It's got to be someone else's fault. It always is. That's how people are able to sleep at night.
Listening to: Theory Of A Deadman - Last Song
As for my iron ring, the reason why I don't wear it is because I lost it. The reason I haven't replaced it is because I'm lazy :)
ReplyDeleteI think you should continue wearing the ring and not let what others say about it bother you. The only way the negative connotation of symbols will be turned around is by having positive examples.
As for your rant about religion, you are right. Religion, by its nature, has a tendency to divide people. It will divide them into people who believe it, and people who don't. I don't think that in itself is a bad thing.
For one, it can foster discussion. Both groups can teach things to the other. However, during those conversations the qualities that you mentioned: acceptance, understanding, empathy and tolerance need to exist on both sides, or else then you get the bad stuff.
In my opinion, the reason why all the bad stuff happens in the name of religion is not the faith itself, but the people behind it. And people are flawed. But, hey, we have to learn to live with these non-perfect people, because we're all in it together.
Or, as an alternative, there's always the hermit life :)
The engineering ring should be worn with pride. Of course people are going to be jealous -- engineers have great social status ... we can sign passports for crying out loud.
ReplyDeleteAs for the "I'm smarter than you" rhetoric, that just comes from people who are ignorant about engineers or any comperable science field, which are just as difficult. Ignorance is easy shrugged off.
hee hee... the ring doesn't mean we can sign passports. We have to get a P. Eng. to do that, and that might be harder for software than other types of engineering. ;-)
ReplyDeleteDon't wear that ring. Ladies will think your married!! Even if its worn on another finger.
ReplyDeleteCorrection: your=you're
ReplyDeleteNever fear, Jimmy, women are well aware of the correct location of the wedding ring and are unlikely to mistake a pinky ring for it... unless you happen to be missing your left ring finger. That's when things get confusing.
ReplyDeleteBesides, it they DO think that I am married, I won't spend SO much time beating off the ladies and letting their hopes down. It's hard to see the dissapointment on their face when I say that I am already taken. It's truely tragic.
ReplyDelete;-P
hahahaha....
What's wrong with dividing people into groups? That's what happens when you have a brain and notice differences between multiple things - you classify (group). "I think that acceptance, understanding, empathy and tolerance are things that people should focus on."? How about ignorance? If you refuse to group/segregate people, then you are being ignorant of their differences. Many years ago, there was an Oprah episode about racism, where two men that had all similar qualities except race; one was purely White and one was purely Black. Oprah went around asking people to list off the differences between the two men. The people came up with all sorts of differences, but no one would say "he is White, and her is Black" for being feared of being called a racist. Ignoring that the two men are racially different is being racist. My advice is to (accurately) classify people as much as possible, otherwise just throw your brain in the garbage. Some things are facts: Blacks are naturally better runners than Whites (higher bone density -> better muscle capacity -> better runner), Whites are better swimmers (they float due to lower bone density), Blacks tend to be naturally more muscular and fatter (due to the bone density). Of course, we can't say that all Whites are better swimmers than Blacks, because it would be an inaccurate generalization. But knowledge is based on generalizations. I know that the sun is going to come up tomorrow, based on the generalization that it came up every other day before tomorrow. I know that you are ungoddly tall, because every time that i have seen you before you have been tall. All generalizations! If you were alone at nite on the streets in a bad part of town and a guy came at you with a knife, would you be scared? Yes! Why? Because through generalization, you know that this guy probably wants to hurt you rather than clean your nails for you with his knife.
ReplyDeleteLesson of the day: grouping people, undeniable and good! Not using brain, bad! Just don't group people inaccurately.
When I was talking about grouping people, I was saying that it is bad when it is used to distance yourself from the people in the other group.
ReplyDeleteUsing your example, it would be the white and black guys on Opera looking at their differences and saying "wow, that person is not like me, so wouldn't understand me and won't be able to relate", ignoring everything else that is the same.
The more differences that you focus on, the farther emotionally you get away from the other group, the less likely you are going to think about what you are doing is going to make the other group feel. i.e. since THAT group of people over there isn't like me at all, if I call them bad names it won't matter because I don't understand how they feel / think.
And some times people feel the need to put someone down to feel better than themselves. Are they going to do it to someone that they can identify with? No. They are going to do it to someone that they feel is different.
What I have problems is people by-passing their brain. I think that everyone would agree that if people used their brains more, there would be less problems.