- Jun 19, 2009
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I address this in my first chapter of my Book and needs to be discussed because it's clear that they do not understand what an ad hominem excuse is or what it reveals about them.
from : Keepers of the Unpopular Truth
(c) Copyright 2001 by Michael HaShev.
All Rights Reserved.
Chapter 1: The Teacher's Syndrome-
*skipping to the portion involving this subject:
What separates me from common man is my ability to see how things are and realize how things could be in a supernal sense. I am not a follower of the masses in the error of their ways.
I want to help people find their way, but I have a problem. My problem arises because I cannot teach people who have no initiative to change, improve, or expand in vision, who cannot be inspired to action because they refuse to self-reflect and recognize their problems and admit to them. Neither will they surrender to the direction or solutions being offered along with such insight, in order to inspire that initiative to action.
There are always excuses. Maybe this is because of how the average person views unpopular truths in life.
Someone discussing this topic with me observed that most humans would rather cling to the security of familiar misery than risk unknown joy. I concur. It’s like the woman who stays with her battering husband.
She knows the misery she's put through is not natural, but she clings to the status quo. Mankind, in the same way, is scared to leave what's familiar, even when they know it's not working out and they could do
better. Mankind in general is truly in denial, willing to live in an abusive society of their own making.
That denial usually causes people to resort to abuses of their own, a denial which turns into deceptive tactics, ongoing rhetoric, and tainted logic often used in deceptive and flawed religious or political discussions in order to make excuses and avoid the problems. These tactics, listed below, consequently get in the way of teaching the unpopular truth and saving people from themselves.
If only they could avoid these traps they set for themselves, and recognize their error in doing these things, then they could stop this nonsense and start listening, which of course would then allow them to actually learn something and perhaps walk away from what is abusing them.
I am constantly fighting this escapist spirit with its powers of untruth. Please try to understand that it can all be rationally addressed in order to be tended to and then cured.
The Basic 10 Tactics Used in Arguments to Avoid Unpopular Truth:
1) The ad hominem argument. Seen too often when someone is attacking the arguer with personal rants, often mixed with false testimony. This never addresses the argument itself; it is only a smokescreen and avoidance technique to avoid unpopular truth.
2) The argument from authority. Though there must be independent confirmation of the facts, they seek to avoid unpopular truth by citing a favorite authority.
3) The argument from adverse consequences. Pointing out dire consequences of an “unfavorable" decision, like going to hell, needing to be saved, and other condemning and degrading commentary – all used to avoid unpopular truth.
4) The argument from absence of evidence. Merely stating their opinion, which is unfounded in substance and not backed by any reality, reason, or proof, relying on the bare false claim or observation per se to avoid unpopular truth. Obviously they have no foot to stand on, nor any substance to offer.
5) The smokescreening attempt. A drawing away from the attention of the original point or argument by putting up a smokescreen between them and the unpopular truth.
6) The blatant denial. Displacing everything; always refusing to admit to anything, sometimes in the form of accusing others instead, in order to displace the blame and guilt they associate with acceptance of the unpopular truth.
7) Making it disappear by not wanting to address it; in other words running away or trying to hide or censor the unpopular truth by flooding posts or banning the messenger of the unpopular truth.
8) The selective observation. Picking and choosing small portions sometimes even outside the context to avoid the main or whole issue addressed. Often used as part of the smokescreen and avoidance tactic.
9) The drawing of conclusions from inadequate sample sizes. Forgetting the many times something never occurred while dwelling on the few times or one time it did occur, thus being selective in what they want to see.
10) The inconsistency factor. Contradicting themselves and/or their own scriptures and/or icons, sometimes playing both sides of the field switching back and forth to whichever fits their arguments in a misguided need to save face when confronted with the unpopular truth. So there you have the ten basic mental scapegoats used to avoid unpopular truth. Accordingly we will never get to where we want and need to be, until we learn to face the unpopular truth head on without these excuses.
The first step is to actually hear what the speaker is saying. The problem is that, when you hear or see something that's unpopular but true, you start evaluating and conceptualizing it as it gets amplified through emotions in a quick short stage of processing in which you are compelled to make a hasty decision. This decision is filtered by prior experiences, fears, and even pride, which in the end changes the perception or the input to what you are willing to accept of it and not what that input was intended to be viewed or understood. These extraneous outside factors affect your honesty within your own belief system as well as subject to simple errors distorting ones outlook on the subject.
That is why there is always a problem being a real honest teacher in a world that seeks displacement and excuses rather then insightful solutions. It seems it is always the teachers of the unpopular truth throughout the ages who have been persecuted, not for who they were and what they offered, but because they hit the raw nerve of the ego of man or were a threat to the status quo.
Ever hear of the good teacher is unpopular syndrome? Students hate the teacher who tries to get them to do work and stay straight in their path in order to grow in intellect and purpose. However, they love the teacher who lets them get away with everything. So to them the good teacher is evil, but the failed teacher is nice, even though in reality the poor teacher is not leading them to be all they could and should be. It’s like the gentiles who have love for Paul the apostate Pharisee who removes all homework (deeds and commands), but have dislike for the true Jews who tried to teach these proper values that brought civility.
This is what causes Israel to be the suffering servant in Isaiah chapters 42-54, as the holder of the unpopular truth spoken about in the "MIKEitz" portion of the Torah. For holding dear to these commands they must sacrifice holding these unpopular truths till the time they are proven right in the long run. Sometimes these things aren't appreciated or understood until we see and live through life adverse to these...(shortened)./
from : Keepers of the Unpopular Truth
(c) Copyright 2001 by Michael HaShev.
All Rights Reserved.
Chapter 1: The Teacher's Syndrome-
*skipping to the portion involving this subject:
What separates me from common man is my ability to see how things are and realize how things could be in a supernal sense. I am not a follower of the masses in the error of their ways.
I want to help people find their way, but I have a problem. My problem arises because I cannot teach people who have no initiative to change, improve, or expand in vision, who cannot be inspired to action because they refuse to self-reflect and recognize their problems and admit to them. Neither will they surrender to the direction or solutions being offered along with such insight, in order to inspire that initiative to action.
There are always excuses. Maybe this is because of how the average person views unpopular truths in life.
Someone discussing this topic with me observed that most humans would rather cling to the security of familiar misery than risk unknown joy. I concur. It’s like the woman who stays with her battering husband.
She knows the misery she's put through is not natural, but she clings to the status quo. Mankind, in the same way, is scared to leave what's familiar, even when they know it's not working out and they could do
better. Mankind in general is truly in denial, willing to live in an abusive society of their own making.
That denial usually causes people to resort to abuses of their own, a denial which turns into deceptive tactics, ongoing rhetoric, and tainted logic often used in deceptive and flawed religious or political discussions in order to make excuses and avoid the problems. These tactics, listed below, consequently get in the way of teaching the unpopular truth and saving people from themselves.
If only they could avoid these traps they set for themselves, and recognize their error in doing these things, then they could stop this nonsense and start listening, which of course would then allow them to actually learn something and perhaps walk away from what is abusing them.
I am constantly fighting this escapist spirit with its powers of untruth. Please try to understand that it can all be rationally addressed in order to be tended to and then cured.
The Basic 10 Tactics Used in Arguments to Avoid Unpopular Truth:
1) The ad hominem argument. Seen too often when someone is attacking the arguer with personal rants, often mixed with false testimony. This never addresses the argument itself; it is only a smokescreen and avoidance technique to avoid unpopular truth.
2) The argument from authority. Though there must be independent confirmation of the facts, they seek to avoid unpopular truth by citing a favorite authority.
3) The argument from adverse consequences. Pointing out dire consequences of an “unfavorable" decision, like going to hell, needing to be saved, and other condemning and degrading commentary – all used to avoid unpopular truth.
4) The argument from absence of evidence. Merely stating their opinion, which is unfounded in substance and not backed by any reality, reason, or proof, relying on the bare false claim or observation per se to avoid unpopular truth. Obviously they have no foot to stand on, nor any substance to offer.
5) The smokescreening attempt. A drawing away from the attention of the original point or argument by putting up a smokescreen between them and the unpopular truth.
6) The blatant denial. Displacing everything; always refusing to admit to anything, sometimes in the form of accusing others instead, in order to displace the blame and guilt they associate with acceptance of the unpopular truth.
7) Making it disappear by not wanting to address it; in other words running away or trying to hide or censor the unpopular truth by flooding posts or banning the messenger of the unpopular truth.
8) The selective observation. Picking and choosing small portions sometimes even outside the context to avoid the main or whole issue addressed. Often used as part of the smokescreen and avoidance tactic.
9) The drawing of conclusions from inadequate sample sizes. Forgetting the many times something never occurred while dwelling on the few times or one time it did occur, thus being selective in what they want to see.
10) The inconsistency factor. Contradicting themselves and/or their own scriptures and/or icons, sometimes playing both sides of the field switching back and forth to whichever fits their arguments in a misguided need to save face when confronted with the unpopular truth. So there you have the ten basic mental scapegoats used to avoid unpopular truth. Accordingly we will never get to where we want and need to be, until we learn to face the unpopular truth head on without these excuses.
The first step is to actually hear what the speaker is saying. The problem is that, when you hear or see something that's unpopular but true, you start evaluating and conceptualizing it as it gets amplified through emotions in a quick short stage of processing in which you are compelled to make a hasty decision. This decision is filtered by prior experiences, fears, and even pride, which in the end changes the perception or the input to what you are willing to accept of it and not what that input was intended to be viewed or understood. These extraneous outside factors affect your honesty within your own belief system as well as subject to simple errors distorting ones outlook on the subject.
That is why there is always a problem being a real honest teacher in a world that seeks displacement and excuses rather then insightful solutions. It seems it is always the teachers of the unpopular truth throughout the ages who have been persecuted, not for who they were and what they offered, but because they hit the raw nerve of the ego of man or were a threat to the status quo.
Ever hear of the good teacher is unpopular syndrome? Students hate the teacher who tries to get them to do work and stay straight in their path in order to grow in intellect and purpose. However, they love the teacher who lets them get away with everything. So to them the good teacher is evil, but the failed teacher is nice, even though in reality the poor teacher is not leading them to be all they could and should be. It’s like the gentiles who have love for Paul the apostate Pharisee who removes all homework (deeds and commands), but have dislike for the true Jews who tried to teach these proper values that brought civility.
This is what causes Israel to be the suffering servant in Isaiah chapters 42-54, as the holder of the unpopular truth spoken about in the "MIKEitz" portion of the Torah. For holding dear to these commands they must sacrifice holding these unpopular truths till the time they are proven right in the long run. Sometimes these things aren't appreciated or understood until we see and live through life adverse to these...(shortened)./
