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From: fsks@unc.UUCP (Frank Silbermann)
Newsgroups: net.singles,net.social
Subject: Re: The use of '-type'
Message-ID: <69@unc.unc.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 31-Jul-85 13:22:57 EDT
Article-I.D.: unc.69
Posted: Wed Jul 31 13:22:57 1985
Date-Received: Fri, 2-Aug-85 05:55:24 EDT
References: <968@peora.UUCP> <1424@mtx5b.UUCP> <peora.990>
Reply-To: fsks@unc.UUCP (Frank Silbermann)
Organization: CS Dept, U. of N. Carolina, Chapel Hill
Lines: 40
Xref: watmath net.singles:8365 net.social:869
Summary: 

Tim Bessie:
>>>     I feel that people develop images because they either don't feel
>>>	they are good enough just being themselves, and are consciously
>>>	trying to be something they aren't;

Frank Silbermann:
>>But what does it matter what other people think of you?  All that matters
>>is what you think of yourself.  Remember that, should you ever be arrested
>>by the police.

Tim Bessie:
>	Isn't that what I was saying?  I *thought* I was.  I was just
>	complaining about the fact that people DO change themselves
>	DRASTICALLY to fit what they imagine (justifiably or otherwise)
>	other people expect them to be.

I was being sarcastic.  If you are ever arrested on suspicion of murder
(assume you are innocent, but a victim of circumstantial evidence)
it darn well will matter what other people think of you!  Namely the
police, judge, and jury.

The whole purpose of educating children is so that they will gradually
become the type of person that will fit well into society -- i.e. to
be able to earn a living and associate in normal ways with other people,
according to society's norms and standards.  The idea that each one of
us should develop our own behaviors independently of what society expects
is pure bunk.

Some of us, for whatever reason, came out of childhood as misfits.
We can choose to remain misfits and make the best of it, accepting
society's punishments, or we can re-educate ourselves and redo whatever
went wrong in our childhood.

Changing oneself is a terribly difficult and frustrating process.
But it's much easier than trying to change someone else, especially
someone else who doesn't WANT to change.  And even this is much easier
than trying to change EVERYBODY else to fit our own conception of what
society OUGHT to be like.

	Frank Silbermann