WindKiller, one of my regular correspondents and readers, sent me a response to Drunken Pirates, Anyone? or "Interlife Realities 101". He's agreed to let me respond in my blog, and this is part 2 of that response.
WindKiller called me to task for not responding to the Ms. Snyder's act in part 1, I think.
As I did with my Conversations with the Past arc, WindKiller's comments will be in regular type, my responses will be in italics. Here we continue with WindKiller's thoughts:
If I stood up in a restaurant tomorrow and proclaimed to those present that I contracted herpes from a 17-year old prostitute I hired last week, you better believe I'd be judged by everyone in earshot (despite the lack of veracity to the statement). There would be angrily looks, hostile comments, and I suspect most would make every effort to avoid me in the future when the opportunity presented itself. If I don't want to face that judgment, all I have to do is not publish to that audience a statement that could result in harsh judgment.My previous statement holds, "What do you hope to gain?" Peoples motivations are usually complex, rarely simple even when subtle. The response you'd get depends heavily on the restaurant you're in, the patrons of that restaurant, how you made your proclamation. I don't necessarily agree that the response you state is necessarily the response you'd get.
One of my teachers use to tell his class, "The meaning of the message is the response it elicits" and I was never comfortable with that because communication is almost never pure (the first communication, for example, must always be instructions on how to build a receiver). Much later I studied deeper and learned "The meaning of the message is" because there are six degrees of separation (I know that seems like a pun or joke and it isn't) between what someone conceptualizes as what they're communicating and what another person conceptualizes as what was communicated.
I also admit a prejudice that shows up in NextStage's Principles. People will form opinions regardless of information presented which supports or negates that opinion. It's uncontrollable, so don't concern yourself with other people's opinions. Certain people, yes, of course. But all people? Those who don't know you and form an opinion about you based on one item reported to them (hence a bias is added) and not directly observed by them?
It's not worth your time.
That offered, I also should point out that one of NextStage's principles, #6, is Take responsibility for your actions.. Of course, it's closely followed by #7, Mistakes are just that; You can reach again.
(more to follow...)
I'll be speaking at the Society for New Communications Research Annual Awards Gala Summit on 5-6 Dec 07 in Boston. Come on by and say hello.
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