Quote:
Originally Posted by Neoprometheus
I question the general assumption that fetishes serve to fill some kind of "void" in the human being; first and foremost because we have no way of formulating a scientific, non-biased general standard for all human beings to follow.
In that respect I think we ought to dismiss that entire notion of "normal" human beings as swiftly as possible, because the human nervous system developes in so many complex ways that we have too many deciding variables to consider for any kind of universal, dogmatic standard to make any sense.
As I've remarked before; it makes the most sense to me that fetishes result from a kind of imprint, because the general idea of imprinting has been observed to a sufficient degree for me to be convinced. Besides, imprints explain rather elegantly how the wiring of the entire nervous system is related to what we experience, in a context which allow itself to be observed - without reverting to pseudo-scientific theorizing about people "lacking" something in order to be more "whole" or "like other people". As Terence McKenna says so well;
"It's really yourself that is the final orbiter, and if you keep yourself as the final orbiter, you will be less susceptible to infection by cultural illusion. Now the problem with this is that it makes you feel bad to not be infected by cultural illusion, because it's called alienation. The reason we feel alienated is because the society is infantile, trivial and stupid. So the cost of sanity in this society is a certain level of alienation. I grapple with this because I am a parent, and I think anybody who has children comes to this realisation: What will it be - Alienated cynical intellectual or slackjod halfwit consumer of the horseshit being handed down from on high. There is not much choice, and we all want our children to be "well adjusted" - unfortunately there is nothing to be well adjusted to."
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Hm. Once again, Neoprometheus, you impress me with your infallible logic. I would have to rescind my previous thoughts and agree with him.
I am a strong believer that everyone is batshit insane and that society's norms and cultural fads convince us all that that insanity is actually an expectation, and thus reverses our particular take on sanity and insanity as a whole. (I also refuse to believe in my own existence, but that's another matter)
Really, humans are unpredictable. All of our actions, all of our thoughts, all of everything we do is really based on impulse or some sort of self-appreciating cause/effect system that society taught us.
We look for reason and cause where there is none; and, seeing none, we paint the empty canvas with whatever suits our fancy.
