Wearing socks *is* a social construct
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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.
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.
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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.
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Sure, things should be questioned, but 9 out of 10 times where I have seen someone bring up social construct as an argument it has always been negative, always used to dismiss the so-called social construct. I can't really recall a single time where it has been used by people who weren't going through a rebellious phase where it's all about being a contrarian and rarely about being genuinely curious about the validity of this and that social construct. Sometimes I have also seen things that are objectively not social constructs being labeled social constructs so I have a hard time taking it seriously when it's brought up.
Yeah I don't disagree that a lot of the time, especially when used by kids or edge lords it's moreso just a way to try to end conversation, but I do think it's worth having that discussion when it comes up if they're in good faith.
Like here the op should absolutely explain why it is a social construct instead of what it appears they're implying they do which is just... Either give up or probably force the kid to do it anyway without explaining.
I was one of those kids who always asked why and most adults just wanted me to shut the fuck up.
️ I definitely also was an edge lord in my teens and grew out of that for the most part, but throughout I didn't lose my curiosity.I think a lot of kids have that curiosity beaten out of them unfortunately and we should try to encourage it more. Idk tho I swore off having kids
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More like: not wearing bedouin robes:
https://english.elpais.com/culture/2022-08-16/the-bedouin-lesson-a-scientific-study-proves-robes-are-the-best-garment-to-wear-in-the-desert-heat.htmlIn desert heat. Humidity is a thing.
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It is a social construct, and we live in a society… so put your damn socks on
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Reminds me of the time I saw people arguing on Reddit about the phrase "time is a social construct" where some people were completely incapable of understanding what that means and conflating the concept of time with the fundamental physics thingymcgee (idk how to call it and entity feels wrong).
People were trying so hard to explain that minutes, months, seasons, etc. are all arbitrary things made up only for them to retort with "but a year is a full rotation of the sun" or "seasons exist because that's how the planet changes its climate".
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Yeah I don't disagree that a lot of the time, especially when used by kids or edge lords it's moreso just a way to try to end conversation, but I do think it's worth having that discussion when it comes up if they're in good faith.
Like here the op should absolutely explain why it is a social construct instead of what it appears they're implying they do which is just... Either give up or probably force the kid to do it anyway without explaining.
I was one of those kids who always asked why and most adults just wanted me to shut the fuck up.
️ I definitely also was an edge lord in my teens and grew out of that for the most part, but throughout I didn't lose my curiosity.I think a lot of kids have that curiosity beaten out of them unfortunately and we should try to encourage it more. Idk tho I swore off having kids
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
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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 dieRight 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.
