Nice essay at the end. We tend to focus on the bullies, in our chronically pessimistic society, but my childhood experiences mirrored the author’s. One popular, socially well adjusted child repeatedly made efforts to be my friend, inviting me and encouraging me to play sports I didn’t think I would enjoy. I never understood why. I still don’t and I still think about it. People can be good, children especially, and I’m afraid that we increasingly prevent them from doing their part in knitting society together, for fear of the rarer ones who would do harm.
Jun 8, 2022·edited Jun 8, 2022Liked by Jacob Siegel
Really great Back Pages this time.
A friend put it (with un-PC cruelty) as "cyberspace allows the weird to congregate virtually in a way they couldn't in real life" -- the socially awkward who would be better off learning to get more comfortable socially, the conspiracy theorists who need a more normal crowd to hang out and explore reality with, the depressed and anxious doomscrolling on their phones, and many others.
And it's not as if Tourette's syndrome (a neurological disorder) and dissociation (the core of psychological trauma) aren't real. They're just rare in spontaneous form. Apparently, social media can artificially induce far more on an industrial scale. Social media is magic!
I give Tablet and the Rando man a lot of credit for both giving voice to his thoughts and for Tablet recognizing the wisdom behind them. I tend to agree with DD below. I said as much to my husband on the day of the Buffalo shooting. We need to be dissecting who these people are and what leads them to commit atrocities. Yelling about guns obfuscates the huge societal problems we are facing. thanks for your courage.
"A staggering number of shootings......" Actually, not that staggering for a Summer's weekend.
Now to touch the live wire: I sense that unless there is a direct look at who is committing these shootings--geography, age and race, sex--to see patterns, profusion, etc.....not much will get done. And I don't think the society is ready for that kind of closeup.
Nice essay at the end. We tend to focus on the bullies, in our chronically pessimistic society, but my childhood experiences mirrored the author’s. One popular, socially well adjusted child repeatedly made efforts to be my friend, inviting me and encouraging me to play sports I didn’t think I would enjoy. I never understood why. I still don’t and I still think about it. People can be good, children especially, and I’m afraid that we increasingly prevent them from doing their part in knitting society together, for fear of the rarer ones who would do harm.
Really great Back Pages this time.
A friend put it (with un-PC cruelty) as "cyberspace allows the weird to congregate virtually in a way they couldn't in real life" -- the socially awkward who would be better off learning to get more comfortable socially, the conspiracy theorists who need a more normal crowd to hang out and explore reality with, the depressed and anxious doomscrolling on their phones, and many others.
And it's not as if Tourette's syndrome (a neurological disorder) and dissociation (the core of psychological trauma) aren't real. They're just rare in spontaneous form. Apparently, social media can artificially induce far more on an industrial scale. Social media is magic!
BDS is clearly and manifestly anti Semitic in nature
I give Tablet and the Rando man a lot of credit for both giving voice to his thoughts and for Tablet recognizing the wisdom behind them. I tend to agree with DD below. I said as much to my husband on the day of the Buffalo shooting. We need to be dissecting who these people are and what leads them to commit atrocities. Yelling about guns obfuscates the huge societal problems we are facing. thanks for your courage.
Weird kids. There was once a solution. It was called the draft or Selective Service Act.
"A staggering number of shootings......" Actually, not that staggering for a Summer's weekend.
Now to touch the live wire: I sense that unless there is a direct look at who is committing these shootings--geography, age and race, sex--to see patterns, profusion, etc.....not much will get done. And I don't think the society is ready for that kind of closeup.