Point of View. Perspective. Voice. Identity.
These are all traits which indicate who we are. We develop our personalities over time based on how we interact with one another — who we bounce off of and who we rub the wrong way are every bit as self-defining and as important in figuring out what we want out of life.
Maybe because it’s the end of the year that these ideas — WHO AM I? — are running through my mind a lot lately. Regardless of the reason, this here bloggy-blog has been extremely instrumental in helping me answer that question.
AM I CLOSED-MINDED?
This inquiry receives a mixed-bag response. My gut-reaction is to say, “Of course not, asshole!” because my entire philosophy has to do equality for all, regardless of what we look like or who we like to fuck. How can a person who believes in equal rights be closed-minded?
The truth is, however, I *AM* closed-minded to some degree. I have no time or patience for racists or rapists or assholes in general. Pedophiles should be put to sleep. People who abuse others — whether “others” are animals or people — get no sympathy from me. I’m not saying this is the right way to be. I *AM* saying, this is who I am, and I like this about me, and I wish others were like me in this regard.
WHAT DOES IT EVEN *MEAN* TO BE CLOSED-MINDED?
I don’t necessarily think we’re all on the same topic, though, when discussing this issue.
Let’s define the term for the purposes of a decent conversation:
Closed-Minded (from Merriam-Webster): obstinately resistant to argument or to unfamiliar or unwelcome ideas.
Closed-Minded (from Urban Dictionary): Someone that does not try to view something in the opposite way.
Using both definitions, I think it’s clear to all that YEP, I am certainly obstinate, resistant, and unwilling to view rape or abuse or racism or anti-gay or anti-being-nice as familiar or welcome new ideas. That makes me most definitely closed-minded. Again, I’m perfectly okay with this. And unless you’re a total douche-bag, you’re okay with this, too. Which means that, in some fashion, we are all a healthy degree of closed-minded.
IS IT OKAY TO VOICE YOUR CLOSED-MINDED IDENTITY?
In my recent post about “Voice”, I spoke about passion and following the path that brings you happiness as opposed to “doing the logical thing”. I spoke about learning to maintain your sense of personal power even as you develop strong relationships. I spoke of being true to one’s self in the face of societal pressures.
This all has to do with honesty — knowing who you are, and being strong enough to actually BE THAT, regardless of the fallout.
Some of that will mean being “closed-minded”.
I am pro-choice. There will never, ever be anything that can convince me that it would be okay to take away a woman’s right to choose. On that topic, I am most certainly “closed-minded”.
I also don’t think prayer should be in school. Not because I’m a Satanic witch or a murderer of hopes and dreams and fairy tales, but because that would mean foisting one — out of an endless supply of fifty-krillion others! — religion onto the kids. Foist that shit at home. That’s what I do. I am a big fan of foisting. Just… not onto people who aren’t under my own protection. In your own home, though? Foist away. Be sure to keep your foisting to yourself, because I am extremely closed-minded to that sort of thing.
Here’s the thing, people. It’s okay to be closed-minded on SOME things. But own it, and don’t be a shit about it.
WHAT DO YOU DO WITH CLOSED-MINDED OPPOSITION?
Some people like to examine both sides of issues. I’m not one of them. That’s not who I am, and that’s not what this bloggy-blog is about. I gots no beef with other people trying to present a fair and unbiased perspective…
But I absolutely *DO* got beefs with people trying to tell me that I should do that, too. Um, no I shouldn’t. I don’t have to. I’m not writing THAT blog. I’m writing THIS blog, which is one-sided and closed-minded.
In my recent post about how to Unspam Triberr, I took some serious flack when I suggested that people who don’t agree with my views should stop sharing them with other people who ALSO don’t share my views.
When I suggested that I won’t be sharing anything that I consider “crap”, there was a lot of argument about my definition of that term… in spite of the fact that I mentioned several times that the definition is definitely subjective and thus only represents *MY* point of view.
It was suggested that (a) I should share everyone’s material because I don’t have any way of knowing what my audience might find interesting, and (b) I should share everyone’s material because it’s good to show both sides to issues.
If I were interested in what my audience finds interesting, or if I was interested in showing both sides to issues, these would be tremendous suggestions.
But the fact of the matter is, I honestly DON’T care about those things. If you read my blog regularly, you already know this about me. If you’re new here today, and this is your first taste of the bitchiness that is Andi-Roo… well, I’m sorry to enlighten you in such a cold fashion, but I really don’t care whether or not you find my topics, or the topics I share, interesting. If you’re gonna like me, you’re gonna like me, regardless of what shit I spew. And to beat a dead horse deader, I don’t give a flying fuck about the opposite side. That’s not my bag, baby.
So here’s what I do with closed-minded opposition: I deep-six that bitch. I don’t read it, and I certainly don’t share it. Not because I want to shield readers from developing their own views, but because I figure it’s up to readers to find alternate perspectives on their own.
Readers aren’t stupid. If they know how to find my blog, if they know how to navigate the internet in general, they can find shit they actually want to read all by themselves, without any help from me.
IS BEING CLOSED-MINDED EVIL AND NAUGHTY AND ALL KINDS OF BAD?
Maybe it is. I’m not here to answer that question for you. I am here to talk about whatever the hellz I want, in whatever fashion I want, on whatever days I want.
What you call “closed-minded” I call being representative of my own personal tastes, of being true to myself, of getting comfortable with my online identity. What you call “building a closed loop” I call world-building. I’m not interested in that empire over there; I’m content with the one I’m developing right here in my corner of the webz.
