[ExI] a little fun - being contrary

William Flynn Wallace foozler83 at gmail.com
Wed Jun 8 17:05:38 UTC 2016


I have always been a contrarian/nonconformist, wondering why I had to do
what I was told, whether at home, in school, or wherever.  I would have
been a disaster in the military.  The military boot camp is designed to get
to you obey orders no matter what.  So they have you dig a ditch then fill
it up.  Your orders come from someone on whom you have an IQ edge by 50
points or more.  It's just insane, but that's the way they design it.  In a
war you cannot question orders (though like in Viet Nam you can shoot the
new second lieutenant who is giving them to veteran soldiers).

I started early.  Mama told a story on me.  When I was about 3 or so, I
turned to her and said "Women don't tell men what to do."  Mama said she
had to hold her hand to her mouth so I couldn't see her smile.  Even then I
was a perceptive observer of human relationships.  Dad wore the pants.

Now I wonder if some of this contrariness is at the basis of hatred of laws
and rules and institutions that enforce them.  Few people are happy with
their government and think they could do it better.

Or they just want to be left alone.  They know what to do - no one has to
order them to do the right thing.  They know what that is.

It takes more government services to deal with people who are badly injured
or dead than people who aren't.  Thus it takes money out of everyone's
pocket when a biker, say, didn't wear a helmet and suffered far worse
injuries in a wreck than he would have with one.  If he died government may
have to take care of his family.  Thus it is in everyone's interest that he
wear one.  Ditto laws for seatbelts.

But for some people, it just grates that they are told what to do even
thought it can be proved that it is better for society.

This, I think, is childish.

bill w
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