Ann, I wish I had written this incisive analysis. You have done the impossible: You have actually managed to nail Jell-O to the wall.
Deep bow. --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, "Ann" <awoelflebater@...> wrote: > > Thanks for taking the time to re-answer this. I was originally asking the > Almighty Barry for his feedback but I appreciate yours. Let's see if I can > make any sense of it and, in turn, offer something that appeals to your > sensibility. > > --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, "Xenophaneros Anartaxius" <anartaxius@> > wrote: > > > > ---awoelflebater wrote (July 27): > > > > > Teacher, teacher, my hand is up, pick me. > > > > > *What can you say about the button pushers of the world? > > > > Probably not much. Because the human nervous system responds to situations > > in a stimulus response pattern, basically all our activity revolves around > > button pushing. You are just codifying certain types of stimulus response > > that functions at a more mentally conceptual level and which you interpret > > as annoying. > > You see, here is the most important point. Barry has only pushed my "buttons" > once. That is when he was foaming at the mouth about "stupid cunts". Other > than that he only imagines he pushes my buttons. I have very sticky buttons > that are not only tricky to find but trickier to actually depress. So all > this time he claims he is pushing buttons but I am sorry to have to admit to > him that this is not so. I don't ever take Barry personally nor do I take him > seriously therefore I am immune to him. But, as with anyone, if he becomes a > big enough asshole I will call him on it because that is what I do. > > > > > *What motivates them? > > > > Don't know. Desire is pretty spontaneous, it wells up inside and then takes > > form. Motivation is a post hoc attempt to explain this particularly defined > > annoying behaviour. There could be many explanations. Perhaps a person > > wants attention; or just wants to see what happens; or maybe is unaware to > > a large extent of how what they do affects others. > > You may be right. Whatever it is, it is an indicator of something. I imagine > that if people get off pushing, or imagining they are pushing, the buttons of > others that it is just a form of sadism. It is also a clue that this person > thinks they can control and that other people are controllable. This, in > turn, makes me think button pushers are bullies or have been bullied. > > > > > *What overriding character trait must a button pusher possess in order to > > > want to push people's buttons? > > > > They must have a human nervous system, but 'character trait' is an attempt > > to create a definition for a certain kind of behaviour. > > "Character trait" is simply describing or attributing a characteristic of > someone's actions to something else. You can play the objective, > disassociated party all you want Xeno, but bottom line, different people have > different characters and different traits that go along with those > characters. We are not some nebulous, miasma floating around in some > indefinable goo. We have edges and colours and definition. On some level we > are not just some abstract Absolute; a part of us actually exists and > functions and has substance. > > >In the US, Democrats push Republican buttons and vice versa. You could > reverse the argument and ask what character trait does a button pushee have > that allows them to get their buttons pushed? Among these would be a > characteristic that one possess a system of belief that does not accurately > represent reality. When a discrepancy in this conglomerate of beliefs is > pointed out, the button gets pushed. There are also non-conceptual buttons, > such as being tickled if you are ticklish. I think the main characteristic > falls on we who get our buttons pushed. By blaming someone else, we don't > have to clean our own house. > > Come onnnn. You are human, are you not? I mean, I think you are but you don't > act human at least half of the time. You speak in complete abstractions. > These abstractions, in turn, end up being meaningless because they aren't > actually focused or therefore relevant. You also seem to believe that if > someone reacts or even interacts with another that somehow this indicates > that their buttons have been pushed. This is simply not so. Just because some > people can be odiously assholish doesn't mean they have pushed buttons. It > means they probably prompted someone to call them on their lying or their > misrepresentation or their shortsightedness. There are those who exist to try > and piss others off as if this is somehow a worthy cause. I guess I need a > definition of "button" from you because it seems like you are perceiving > anyone who takes exception to lies or rudeness is somehow to blame for > something. Take a look at your last sentence in the paragraph above. > > > > Button pushing does get out of hand in human civilisation. War is the best > > example. The divergence in conceptual thinking is so great, the only way to > > eliminate it is to remove one or both sides of the equation. Look at what > > happened recently in Egypt. > > I would venture to say that the escalation toward war would be best described > as something other than "button pushing". There has to be a far more powerful > set of forces congealing together in order to crescendo into what we define > as war. Pushing buttons is the stuff of web forums and schoolyards. > > > > > *Does a button pusher ever admit to themselves that perhaps what they > > > call button pushing is merely an unsavoury character trait possessed by > > > the button pusher that others take a disliking to? > > > > Maybe they do and maybe they do not. But by putting the onus on another > > person, you do not see that it takes two to tango. > > Not always. There is often the instigator, the one who begins the volley. > What the other does with the ball that lands in their court is something > else. There can be an onus; life is not always this hazy, grey indefinable > mush as you seem to indicate here. People really can offend, can splatter a > bag of shit in someone's face. Theoretical is not real life, Xeno. > > > > > *Is this 'reaction' ever valid or warranted by the pushees? > > > > First of all it happens. What happens and how the pushee responds and > > evaluates, and how the pushee feels their response is warranted or valid > > depends on their internal world view. The button pusher probably does not > > share that world view, and in their mind, the stimulus is both warranted > > and valid. > > Perhaps. I think some button pushers just do it because it makes them happy, > gives them smug satisfaction. Button pushers must lack excitement, > stimulation in their lives as evidenced by the fact that they have to create > petty drama and draw attention to themselves as a result. In Barry's case he > sucks it towards himself then pretends he isn't getting off on it. He is > constantly masterbating under the covers. > > > > > *And finally teacher, what does is say about a person who sits by and > > > allows others to throw shit around the room and not get up and at least > > > leave or, better still, confront the shit thrower? > > > > Some of us are our brother's keeper, and some of us are not. It is a fluid > > social situation. This situation does not exist if the stimulus response is > > restricted to just the two - the button pusher, and the person with > > buttons. The people closest to you, like family, probably know more about > > how to push your buttons than anyone. When there is a group, battle lines > > may be drawn. It tends to happen here on FFL. > > I am not sure how this relates to my question. > > > > The tendency to defend another may be a function of how defenseless a > > button pushee is in relation to those who push. When I was in middle > > school, there was a retarded kid who would get flack from the bully types. > > I felt a tendency to get between them and at the very least not make fun of > > the kid, which is actually difficult at that age - peer pressure and all. I > > think the family of that boy wanted him to go to school in as normal an > > environment as possible, or perhaps could not afford a special school. It > > must have been some kind of special dispensation, because the boy could not > > perform at the grade level he had been placed in. > > > > Even if we fail, the onus is on us to be a strong as possible in the face > > of adversity. > > > > If worse comes to worse, you just have to kill the bastard(s) or die > > yourself. (Sometimes they are bitches.) > > Well, I think in this situation (we are only talking about Barry, after all) > that won't be necessary. A well placed jab to the metaphorical solar plexus > is all that's usually required. > > >
