Freedom - what is it?
December 11, 2005 – 4:00 pmPeople seem to be so afraid of freedom. Do they want to be told what to do? Whether by a state in favour of totalitarian conformity - or by their mates - certainly its starting to look that way!
“Totalitarian Conformity - “We can make decisions on what is ‘right’ and ‘wrong’ for all people - there is no such thing as context! All world is black and white -so we know what decisions to make, for all people!” ( read aloud in strong indian accent)
Heh indeed. [doesn’t that sound like mao and his mates?look, such a happy lot of people who lived in ‘a black and white’ society - you’re with us - or you’re against us! Agree - or die! yes a lot of fakely smiling people, we live in a totalitarian society - yeah for me!] the stupidity of people is amazing clearly no-one values their individuality and freedom, i do - so this is a bit worrying..eh?
13 Responses to “Freedom - what is it?”
CONTEXT:
When someones loved ones are killed by a murderer he/she should realize that there is a context behind the event. Emotions mean very little in this contextual world.
When a dictator usurps the rights of his citizens, yes indeed there is a context for why it happened.
When Hitler rose to power in a humiliated Germany, yes indeed there was a context.
When Jewish people migrated to their promised lands ( thus displacing the palestenians) after being literally exterminated in Europe - yes indeed there was a context.
When the palestenians blow up innocent Israeli kids, yes indeed there is a context.
When OBL blows up buildings and kills more than 3000 in US, yes indeed there is a context.
When the human rights of mass murderers are emphasized rather than the right to security and freedom of millions of more common people yes indeed CONTEXT is more important.
Yes indeed context is so important. Let this AMUSEMENT go on…..
By ven on Dec 11, 2005
“People seem to be so afraid of freedom. Do they want to be told what to do?”
Actually, yes. Freedom brings uncertainty and that scares the hell out of people. Just witness support for the Terrorism Act in the UK - seemingly widespread depending on which poll you look at.
The job of freedom activists is therefore explicitly to make people aware of the potential of their liberation (or the threats from its curtailment). Keep up the good work on your blog.
By Fluffy Economist on Dec 13, 2005
Afraid of Freedom, its interesting…..
What do you think should people do with Holocaust deniers like this person:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4525268.stm
Or should they have the right to deny holocaust, just like the rights of people who oppose less than lethal tasers like:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4125030.stm
By ven on Dec 13, 2005
oooh what a GREY world…..
By ven on Dec 13, 2005
If you want comments on you blog. You must start one in a female name. And that is the moral of the story.
By Bihari Babu on Dec 14, 2005
yeah fluffy you’re absolutely right that people do seem to be want to told what to do - that’s why the conformists have such an easy job of it! we only have to look at little things like - oh you didn’t iron your shirt. OH GOSH! so much social meaning/understanding is invested in such a little thing - to most people it means sth significant - also in other things like..having matching socks..my people make a big deal about this as well.
that always intrigued me..
By sonia on Dec 14, 2005
Oh poor you Bihari babu, don’t be jealous …..
.
Comments come because firstly when people visited at any website, the appearances of the site/s play its role here, good appearance make people take a little look at first their sighting, then what its offer/s. a good contents would probably make people give their time to shared something, … then its follows with comment/s.
In order to make people always visit and left comments the above criteria must be maintained.
.
As for an example, there is in the wild a blog name ‘Random Thought’, which I am pretty sure you did know it very well, created by a Indian guy said to be from Delhi, I my self visited it few time since its offer links from his post here and somewhere else, but never leaved any comment due to nothing productive available there, and even the page itself look like ‘a ghostly place’.
Lately I saw this guy created one new blog, cant remember it name, Pink in Color, ……. its funny to think then when a Male character show-up himself in public with Pink Saris without take a shaved.
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Don’t know if that ‘blog owner’ have any connection with that Miss xxx.
I think you did know it better.
.
By Cimurai on Dec 14, 2005
Cimurai,
you misunderstand me. I am only pointing to the issue that you had raised much earlier in this very blog.
I think you had said that Sonia is a male but is only masquerading as a female only to get comments.
For that matter I really don’t crave for comments from liberal leftist riffraff such as you. Thanks for droping by but please refrain from pestering me with your worthless comments. I insist! If you please…
By Bihari Babu on Dec 14, 2005
Oh dear Bihari Babu, I’m really very very sorry, I didn’t know if any of my word above hurts you, and I don’t even know that the blog I did mentioned above belong to you. Once again, I am very very sorry, …. Lets us just forget about it like its never happened.
(Ah, if I could just delete my ‘stupid offensive’ word above).
.
Ps. If one day I am able to have my own blog, for sure I am very pleased if you care to spare your time to drop by,( and kindly leaved comments)
…..
…..
…..
So anyway Bihari Babu, we have a common ground here,
People tend to used female character on blog as an attraction, and with the hope that people politely leave message/s with a ‘lovely agreeing statement’, with no contras and far from any harsh word.
I don’t think its going to happen.
not now, before and after.
.
By Cimurai on Dec 14, 2005
“People seem to be so afraid of freedom. Do they want to be told what to do?”
Yes they want to be told what to do. That’s why religion works, some people need something to tell them how to behave because they are so woefully ill-equipped to decide for themselves. Shall I eat a particular meat? NO! Should I tell others my religion is the best? YES! Etc.
It’s also the reason the definition of ‘freedom’ has shifted. What is ‘religious freedom’? The ability to tell other people that they are infringing on your religion.
Hence, religion = being told what to do, which is telling others what to do.
PS - What are Bihari and Cimurai on about?
By Rohin on Dec 14, 2005
yup clearly this is where the sociology of religion reveals itself, it’s useful to think about this one as it helps to understand what people get out of religion. people who like to follow a strict religion say it offers them that security- do this, don’t do that - if you do this, this will happen blah blah.
Its also the same with social ‘norms’ - which is why most people like to adhere to plenty of silly rules/ideas about what we’re ’supposed’ to be doing.. Also stuff like ‘getting a job’ - hitching yourself to an employer - safety beckons. And relationships… you ought to be doing this this and that by the time you’re 30..the list goes on and on. Patriotism, any belief in Authority - all pretty much the same thing. Oh we like to fool ourselves that someone out there knows what’s going on! the system - why surely there’s a system isn’t there? people don’t really like finding out what the world’s really like. oooh no. they’d rather be safe than sorry!
Bihari B. is our old friend Indian Capitalist - if you’ve been on the Guardian newsblogs that’ll make some sense to you, heh heh. (!) Cimurai seems to think i’m a man ( his reasoning wasn’t that as Bihari Babu seems to think - that if im a woman id get more comments ha - in that case i would have swiped a lovely pic of some glamourous gal off say the Robert Swipe Show..hah) but cos he reckoned in his gender understandings that my ‘tone’ and topics are masculine - women being fluffy little things who don’t understand much of the ‘masculine-intellectua’ world. etc. We’ve been having a good giggle about this on the blog - possibly Cimurai has since decided im female now as apparently i’ve revealed some feminine characteristics.. in any case i was very flattered as clearly it was a compliment in Cimurai’s book
of course since ven has suggested that i’m a fat and ugly girl - as if that has any bearing on the matter - but interesting nonetheless - had i ‘pretended’ to be a man i dont imagine anyone would be casting aspersions/commenting on looks…;-)
Gender and the online medium is one of my interests at the end of the way so all this is fantastic empirical research!
By sonia on Dec 15, 2005
i dont think ven understands anything about what ive said ever. what you’re saying about context is of course right, individuals ought to realize there’s a context ( i.e. not take it too personally..) just like i suppose the americans ought to chill a bit about 9/11 - or anyone anywhere as in the examples you’ve pointed out. Also similarly, everyone will feel upset that their context hasn’t been considered by the other side - so whilst simultaneously people ought to realize the framework they exist in, it would perhaps be useful for us- as society - to also realize the universality of the response. and what you say about ‘emotional feelings’ - well people have used that term to ‘dismiss’ issues they think are unimportant. i would say emotional human mental trauma if left out of the equation doesn’t really help anyone understand anything. It needs to be factored into micro-level social analysis and then someone needs to realize that macro-level social analysis is more than a simple sum of parts.
By sonia on Dec 19, 2005
Sonia,
My moral compass is simple - irrespective of context -
1) Do unto others that you expect others to do unto you.
2) Truth always wins.
If you have this rule things do appear in BLACK and WHITE to you.
A MURDERER is always guilty - I will not kill others because I dont want to be killed.
A DICTATOR is always guilty. - I will denounce a dictator because if I lived under him I will suffer.
A THEOCRACY is always bad - I will not treat a member of religious minority unequal to me because if I were a member of religious minority, I would hate it.
Many RELIGIOUS teachings are bad. - I will not treat anyone as a KAFFIR a person deserving hell because I dont want to be treated like a KAFFIR. I will not treat anyone as a SHUDRA because I dont want to be treated as a SHUDRA.
DEMOCRACY is always GOOD. - I will recommed this form of Government to everyone because I have been given opportunities to succeed and my views are heard.
Therefore: In a war between a DEMOCRACY and DICTATORSHIP/THEOCRACY, I will support DEMOCRACY and will want it to win.
Hitler, Saddam, Kim ul sung, Fidel Castro, Mullahs in Iran, VHP hindu supremists are all WRONG.
By ven on Dec 22, 2005