Wearing socks *is* a social construct
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Definitely. I also think that this specific sock case is pretty innocent and a good excuse to have a stimulating discussion with the kiddo about it. I also don't get why the parent appeared to have just given up, because I do think that one of the most fun conversations I have ever had have been when I talked with kids about how the world works and they ask me questions where I have to think before answering.
And I am completely agreeing with you that it is worth talking about if people are in good faith. It was just never something I came across in the wild a few years back. It was, as you said, always used as a way to end a discussion and actually to get people to not question anything. It's a social construct, ergo it is bad and questioning why it's supposedly bad makes you a bigot. So I just have a very ingrown adverse reaction to that term whenever I see it.
Sucks that your inquisitive nature was dampened, but honestly, I think it's one of the great things we can do for ourselves in adulthood - keep asking questions and find the answers ourselves. I went through a weird knowledge-gathering phase for a few years while working on a worldbuilding project. Got into things I would have never thought about otherwise. Just constant questions about how this and that works, what is this, what is that? Why are things like this? Who does this and that in society? How are continents formed? Where does coffee grow any why? Do dreadlocks remain dreadlocks as they grow? (They do) How were languages formed? How were alphabets formed? How are parasites beneficial to the ecosystem? Can you surgically change a person's eye color? (You can) How did the Ottoman Empire fall and why? Would gooseberry lollipops be popular with kids? How long does it take to bake bread in a volcano? How old is the oldest tree in the world? (That's how I learned about Prometheus and the infuriating end to a 5000+ year long lifespan because one stupid university graduate decided that cutting it down for science was more important than letting it live).
Yadda yadda yadda. Honestly, it becomes kind of addictive once you get going with these types of questions. It's a lot of fun.
I hope you still ask questions, my friend! Don't let that part of you die
Right on!
Luckily I ignored everyone telling me to stop and once I got the internet... Yeah similar to your paragraph lol the rabbit hole of how and why is deep!
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"Attitudes against smacking children are also a social construct..."
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Right on!
Luckily I ignored everyone telling me to stop and once I got the internet... Yeah similar to your paragraph lol the rabbit hole of how and why is deep!
So glad to hear it! And yes, oh God, how deep that rabbit hole goes! What are some crazy/interesting places you have ended up?
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Serious question:
I moved to an area that should be 5 degrees cooler on average than home, but this summer is killing me and I have a lot of stuff outside to work on, plus I recently got back on my meds, which all have heat sensitivity advisories so, yeah... probably not helping, but bipolar meds are generally fairly necessarily, unfortunately.
So, the question: Where could I purchase a legit Bedouin robe for the cooling effects; preferably online as I don't think they have too many robe shops in central AR?
I'm not afraid to look like a weirdo in my own back yard.
Hell the neighbors on one side a retired potheads with strong hippy vibes, the other side is a young family of musicians.... the dude rocks a waxed handle bar mustache regularly so I really don't care for his opinions on style. To each their own.
Thawb or dishdasha is the thing you're looking for, and easily available online. My friend brings me back some from Kuwait: the current batch is from https://aljazzerakw.com/ Truly the world's comfiest clothing
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I like Max Stirner's perspective. Like you said, they can be useful - but we can also give them too much authority over us. It's important to be aware of that.
Yeah!
Mammals are a social construct. They still serve a purpose.
What matters is what purpose they serve. Not many people are opressed by the concept of mammals. -
Exactly! "Boys" socks, "girls" socks, no - my socks.
Why are socks gendered.
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Something being a social construct doesn't mean it's not real, or ignoring it won't negatively affect you.
Laws, money, etc. are all social constructs.
And, while it's good to challenge dumb social constructs, you should pick your battles. Nobody can fight all dumb social constructs at the same time. Is wearing socks really where you want to focus your energy?
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Nah, kinda the worst time really. Take a good look at society right now and one could argue we utterly failed and should reject it.
How to spot Americans on topics not related to America.
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Our ancestors DID need shoes. Footprints in South Africa dated to be between 75K and 136K years old show footwear in use. We invented shoes possibly 100,000 years before we invented written language.
Do they show shoes or do they show sandals?
Normally not a big difference, footwear is footwear. But, if we're talking about socks, then the difference becomes relevant again.
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"Sure socks are a social construct, but so are the things that let you eat ice cream, watch your favorite streaming service, or play your favorite video game. In fact the only non-social construct actions you involve yourself in are eating, sleeping, and expelling bio waste. Even those you seem to have no problem follow the social rules around. If you'd like to abandon society and escape into nature free of the bounds of social constructs, you're welcome to do that when you're 18 and can afford enough to buy a plane ticket to Fairbanks, Alaska. Until then, you have to put on your socks."
If you'd like to abandon society and escape into nature
Where, exactly, can you do that? There's really no unclaimed nature out there anymore, at least none that can let a person survive on their own. And if you're not surviving on your own, you're part of a society.
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Why are socks gendered.
Exactly!
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Exactly. Money is a useful construct, but if you look at everything associated with it it's insane. A tool for tracking the value of goods and services has resulted in wall street, crypto currency, and people burying gold in their yards. It's become a status symbol to hold this placeholder for labor without doing labor.
I'm not necessarily on board with a moneyless society anytime soon, but I am definitely currency critical.
Currency is an excellent example.
Groups or organizations are another.
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Good point, kid, and here’s another one: those toys you want me to buy you are a social construct. Playtime? Yep. Social construct. Shall I keep going? Video games are next.
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If you'd like to abandon society and escape into nature
Where, exactly, can you do that? There's really no unclaimed nature out there anymore, at least none that can let a person survive on their own. And if you're not surviving on your own, you're part of a society.
Dying by exposure to the nature or elements is very natural. Living a long and healthy life is a social construct.
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So glad to hear it! And yes, oh God, how deep that rabbit hole goes! What are some crazy/interesting places you have ended up?
I've never really had many techy friends/family members so that's where a large amount of my own research/rabbit holes usually go lol.
Like a few months ago I did a whole home server/homelab setup with proxmox several LXCs etc just from a desire to learn. I found Linux way back at age 12 but didn't really dig too far beyond being able to sit in the corner of our empty house so I could reach my neighbors shared wifi and watch anime/Yt (laptop literally did not function on windows XP when it was gifted to my dad for comparison lol)
Powerautomate for work has been a great time sink and a ton to learn there still and I'm learning how to do sysadmin and web coding things as well.
For like rando interesting facts, it's hard because without a trigger I can't usually just come up with a fact even though I might have gone down a 20+tab Wikipedia rabbit hole in a subject haha
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Do they show shoes or do they show sandals?
Normally not a big difference, footwear is footwear. But, if we're talking about socks, then the difference becomes relevant again.
Undetermined. Just the bottom of the shoes made an imprint.
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Socks have a practical use, they wick sweat away from your feet - this is practical in low temps where you will wear a cotton sock with a wool sock on top of it
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Undetermined. Just the bottom of the shoes made an imprint.
I'm betting crocs.
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I've never really had many techy friends/family members so that's where a large amount of my own research/rabbit holes usually go lol.
Like a few months ago I did a whole home server/homelab setup with proxmox several LXCs etc just from a desire to learn. I found Linux way back at age 12 but didn't really dig too far beyond being able to sit in the corner of our empty house so I could reach my neighbors shared wifi and watch anime/Yt (laptop literally did not function on windows XP when it was gifted to my dad for comparison lol)
Powerautomate for work has been a great time sink and a ton to learn there still and I'm learning how to do sysadmin and web coding things as well.
For like rando interesting facts, it's hard because without a trigger I can't usually just come up with a fact even though I might have gone down a 20+tab Wikipedia rabbit hole in a subject haha
Man, all that sounded like a different language to me, but I am also a tech-imbercile
sounds pretty impressive, though that you built your own server. To me that basically sounds like magic when people tell me how they build tech related things. It is so cool.I completely get what you mean with needing a trigger for researching! I'm like that too. I just cannot get into anything if there isn't some sort of purpose to it. Currently, my worldbuilding project is in hibernation so I went from basically going to self-learning school every moment of the day for three years to a potato. It's a bit annoying that you can't just deliberately trigger a thirst for knowledge or have a normal, steady stream of knowledge gathering. It's either full fucking throttle or it is dead in the water. At least it's like that for me.
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Man, all that sounded like a different language to me, but I am also a tech-imbercile
sounds pretty impressive, though that you built your own server. To me that basically sounds like magic when people tell me how they build tech related things. It is so cool.I completely get what you mean with needing a trigger for researching! I'm like that too. I just cannot get into anything if there isn't some sort of purpose to it. Currently, my worldbuilding project is in hibernation so I went from basically going to self-learning school every moment of the day for three years to a potato. It's a bit annoying that you can't just deliberately trigger a thirst for knowledge or have a normal, steady stream of knowledge gathering. It's either full fucking throttle or it is dead in the water. At least it's like that for me.
I'm guessing you're likely also somewhere on the ADHD/Autism spectrum like me.
