The Ant-Snob Snob

  Today I want to talk about snobbery. What I mean by snobbery in this context is simply rejection of anything that doesn't fit your own narrow viewpoint. This sort of snobbery comes in many shapes, from the obvious; how could you possibly listen to/drink/watch that junk when my favorite is obviously better, to the near opposite; those idiots in California/New York/France really don't get us here in Peoria/Alaska/Saskatchewan and I don't think they should be telling us how to vote/dress/marry besides it's their loss anyway.

   We must discriminate to live a productive life, and I don't even have a problem with thinking that other people's beliefs are wrong, I just feel that we need to stop discounting those opinions without reason. I am not however endorsing relativism, all “truths” are not created equal and what we believe does not make reality. What I am saying is pick your battles. Does it really matter that your best friend drinks a beer that you think is better suited for cleaning rust off of bumpers? Can you really change the mind of the cretin at the office that believes that Strom Thurmond was far too liberal? Will anyone really listen when you rant against the latest pop-tart that can't sing, and would it really matter if they did? You just make yourself sound intolerant.

   The point of all this is, if you want to criticize make sure it is worth criticizing. If you can enlighten someone to the incorrectness of the anti-vaccine movement, by all means do. But is it really worth the waste of energy to make fun of someone because they love Journey? I mean really, I like Steve Perry's voice so just get off my back already.

New blog, new attitude.

Mr. Misconception is a strange name and I need to explain what it means.

I am a skeptic, and as a skeptic I challenge myself to adjust my opinions when I am presented with new information. Since becoming a skeptic, or rather since realizing that a skeptic is what I am, I have come to realize that, as shocking as it may seem, I am not always right. But knowing that you may not be right is only half of the battle; admitting that you are wrong and adjusting your beliefs to reflect your new knowledge is the second, and harder, part. Admitting to faults goes against basic human nature, we believe it makes us appear weak, but if we fight against our basic instincts and admit our failing we can better ourselves in many ways.

To move forward, as a people or as a person, we must constantly strive toward more understanding and the only way to achieve more understanding is to process the information that comes in to us and use it, as true or false information, to adjust our total knowledge. If we fail to adjust to a more true position we are at a disadvantage when leading to the next step on our journey to truth, for lack of a better word. What I strive for is to process the information I get in as unbiased a way as possible by realizing that we fool ourselves and by knowing how we fool ourselves and by using that information to decide which information is “more true.”

What I hope to do with this blog, at least occasionally, is to spout off about a subject in an unfiltered way off the top of my head after which I will do some research, I am only marginal when it comes to research so it will be less than thorough I am sure, and note that in some way. Then comes the fun part; I expect to have my ass handed to me by people who know what they are talking about. In that way I will increase my, and any readers I might have, knowledge on said topic. That does not mean I will take in someone else's opinion on a subject and immediately change my mind, give me you input and I will process it; if you are civil about it I will be happy to discuss anything with those I disagree with.

I have opinions that will be defended; I will need some strong persuasion to change my opinions. I am, after all, still human.