F*cking Fathers' Day

 F*cking Fathers' Day: Axes to Grind

 

Let the good times roll...

Let them knock you around...

"Good evening."

 

"Good evening Lloyd." 

 

"What will it be?"

"The usual."

Let the good times roll...

Amphibious Approach

Guided by decades of seasons
Meekly approaching

Only under the cover of night

She lands

Her last obstacle overcome

Her clutch deposited

 

She returns to that big blue forever

Her solution

Some say
Going by the sheer 
weight of numbers 

alone 

The odds are
STACKED 
QUITE  
HEAVI-
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June 3, 2013

June 3, 2013: A [t]Raining Day

Small Pri..

READ ME 

(This post has been written with the expectation that there are very few people who will easily 'get it' all on the fist read through. Contained within are a number of links, each intended to supplement the post in providing specific examples of what is being introduced and to show what connections are being made. Allowing for the videos, the only thing required on the part of the reader is roughly ten minutes of valued time for the first look. Throughout the post, there are a number of questions you may choose to answer. This is not an empathy test; it's not even a test. Everything after ***** is extra. There are no 'Easter eggs' hidden in this post - not in a technical sense.)

You are under no obligation to solve or unlock this post. However, you may wish to read the directions first. 

Directions (optional): 

1. Read through without clicking, except where there is an asterisk *. 

2. Read through again, clicking where supplemental information is necessary. 

3. Leave a comment. 

(Addendum: Comments will be responded to in order received with individual consideration applied to each.) 

PART I

Just recently, a now-more-famous-than-ever politician from Osaka had said some things that have stirred up a bit of controversy. Quite frankly, I'm pleased to see that people are questioning their perception of where they live. 

And...

In the context of living in Japan, I  was asking myself, “What would make a person not simply ‘go with the flow’ and violate established social code?”

Going with the flow... thinking about the consequences of going with the flow and understanding what that entails had me curious.

First, I went to look at Ki11010gy.

And saw:

“Grossman further argues that violence in television, movies and video games contributes to real-life violence by a similar process of training and desensitization.”

The video is something I'd seen seven days prior to June 3, while learning how to pack stuff. This is one of the coolest instructional videos I've come across on the Web so far. Schr03d3r does an excellent job at presentation. If only everyone was able to give instruction the way he does, there would be a lot less mess to deal with. The video is roughly six minutes long. If you are already familiar with the process, please skip ahead to the 5:30 mark. 

Question #1.

Can you see how the Grossman quote is related to the video…can you make that connection?

a. yes

b. no

After reading what is quoted above and making the connection (1.a) I continued to learn about the M!1gr4m experiment. And I thought to myself, “Oh, yeah…that one. The one most of us have heard about and perhaps even participate in to varying degrees.”  

"Morality of  ELTs"

(I'm kind of nervous when people ask me questions.) 

For some reason, I began thinking about my recent reintroduction to probabilities through the kind wisdom found in Joker’s Three Door Monty problem. 

TO READ JOKER'S POST

    

CLICK HERE *

(Which game show? Which studio? Why would I be in a studio on a game show?) 

You see, regardless of where or when the M!1gr4m experiments allegedly take place, roughly 2/3’s of the subjects are “prepared to inflict fatal voltages” - something that is noted as being “remarkably constant”.

Question #2.

Can you see a connection between Joker’s lesson and the shock experiments? 

a. yes

b. no

Regardless of your answer, what do you think it could be?

(Yes, there is a specific answer. However, all attempts are appreciated; you may be more attuned to this than I am.)

PART II

 

Related to the M!1gr4m experiments are the H0f1!n hospital experiments.

“Nurses views of professional standards

induced them to

suppress their good judgment.”

M!1gr4m’s experiments were controlled. No one was being shocked. However, in this case, the tests were carried out in the real world, with real people in very real situations. 

“What,” might a person ask, “is the mechanism for this…how the f*#@k does this happen?[!]” 

Back to those three doors now, one of which has already been opened for you. 

FOR JOKER'S SOLUTION

      

   

CLICK HERE *

Question #3.

Even after knowing or understanding what the odds or probabilities are, after having had them explained to you…do you still want to stick with the first door you chose?

a. yes

b. no

The A$ch conformity experiments all seem to boil down to a bit in the last paragraph :

“theoretical distinction between

social reality testing

and

physical reality testing

is

untenable”

Which only really sunk in after I’d read the whole article.

All I had to do was replace this

(I think of these as the 'four seasons' of Japan)

with this

Learning and thinking here at this point

is very seldom, from my experience, ever done in an environment where normative influences are not present.

Normative influences…when an individual finds time to do her or his own thinking outside the box and submit their ideas anonymously, they are “not subject to social punishment or reward on the basis of their responses”.

Question #4.

 

What color is the circle on the right?

a. red

b. green

c. blue

d. yellow

Question #5.

Are you sure you do not want to change your answer?

a. yes

b. no

You may click here later.

Wikipedia’s information on the conformity experiments are very helpful.  It’s much easier than I thought and very similar to how I remember one of my own special 'sessions'. I actually remember the specific answer I chose.  And my response was predictable.

I had trusted one of ‘them’.

Ironically, for me, it remains a moral question.

PART III

Moral Disengagement

If you look it up on Wikipedia, you will find the quote attributed to Voltaire. 

“Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities”

Of the following list, I am only concerned with the first one in how it applies to the current situation.  

 

 japanning

•  Reconstructing immoral conduct 
•  Displacing or diffusing responsibility
•  Misrepresenting injurious consequences
•  Dehumanizing the victim

Tentative Conclusion:

When I ask myself, “What would make a person not simply ‘go with the flow’ and violate established social code?” -  I do not have a clear answer for that. But I do know that I need to be aware of how authority works especially when the odds are so heavily stacked in its favor.  For the System, it doesn’t matter which door you choose as long as you choose from the answers that are provided. Or that you are watching. 

Looking forward to your responses. 

Fortunately, reaction time is not a factor. 

*****

After-math

 

Somebody really asked me about someone the other day. 

And the person asking the question was surprised by my response, which caught him off guard. 

This Father's Day is when I will post about a number of 'them'. 

Thanks for reading. 

PS
The local honu are returning.