An exercise in applying your Jedi training - A real life example.

As Jedi we are always suppose to take the middle ground, so below is an excerpt of a text I recently saw on Facebook. This post escalated into a war between brothers that ended a relationship. In light of all the protests and polarization going on over this election (and keeping political leanings aside as much as possible) I wonder what you as Jedi would say to the person that wrote this? Keep in mind that I don't think this sort of post can be reasoned with or resolved through debate. Debate will only serve to fuel the fire and further polarize the situation.

What if you agreed in theory with their views? Would you justify and support what they said or condemn them for their approach? What suggestions would you make to them to do it differently?

What if the post were directed at you from your best friend, brother or other relative and debased not only your political position but your basal character? Would you fire back? Ignore it? Take another approach?

I'm wondering what you would do or say to try to bring about unification verses segregation in the face of such raw aggression whether you agree with this persons political stance or not.

Unfortunately you are touching politics and things will get messy. Not faulting you, I applaud you for trying to make sense of such actions. Social Media has become such a BANE to our society and it has culminated with this election and the vast separations the political cultures/communities have been through.

I'll be open and honest so you know where I am coming from...I'm fairly conservative, an independent. Didn't vote for Trump though nor for Clinton for a variety of reasons. I have some very outspoken friends on social media and I've seen very similar things to what you described in your post. I think that in today's terms, especially on social media that we "debate" for the purpose of convincing others that we are right rather then trying to understand one another or simply intellectually spar.

If a similar scenario had occurred to me then I would try to defend myself and my position to the best of my ability and then leave it be. If the other person, who has known me for an extended period of time well enough to know and understand my character chooses to lump me using a blanket approach without letting me defend myself then this is a friend I do not want. To not let politics interfere with how they see me. Luckily I have friends, each of us different in our politics and were able to communicate respectfully, while others I may know don't. I think the reason why is because we did not think the other is WRONG, simply different and we wanted to learn from the other, not convince. Put aside ideology and see the person before you.

It was Aristotle, I believe, who said that a true friend is one that you share your ideas with. I also want to point to the quote in my signature concerning differences with friends.

I have been working on social theory of sorts that may accurately apply to your post. Perhaps I'll discuss some of it in its own post...

Kyrin Wyldstar wrote: As Jedi we are always supposed to...

Lost me at this point. Why is a Jedi "supposed to" anything? Doesn't love follow will? Otherwise you are forcing yourself into an image of what is right, and that presumes anyone different is in the wrong, which is exactly the main issue in the quoted person's argument.

As this post of mine will probably prove, there is no winning when it comes to debating ideals. You can only sort it out one on one, and even then it might be futile. Personally, I would simply not respond, as the person posting is entitled to their rage, and I have no business trying to thwart it.

Flailing around in a last desperate attempt to 'escape' the gravity of a situation seems pretty natural.... though not necessarily useful! But if it were necessary then it might be good to stay anchored in reality at least. Does that person really want to incite violence, or are they just expressing emotion and pretending its going into a vacuum....... as communication should probably always be seen to represent ones own identity before anything it purports to represent - just as a buffer from being 'used' and becoming a puppet of some narrative construct.

Such that considering loss of perspective can creep up on someone who invests time and energy into something, it might be hastened by aligning ones self identity too closely with a particular external entity because ones self worth and measure of change/growth/decay can easily become merely a reflection of that external entities change/growth/decay rather then a measure of ones own actual reality and future potential. It is in effect losing oneself to something perhaps... but how much really is willing to be lost, and at what point does one lose the capacity to chose or even be aware of it! The subconscious loves its instinctual circuits of hate, fear, anger etc so entertaining them trivially is a bit of a fools errand most of the time.

Manuel Castells, a sociologist, details the Information Age, the time period where society is based on knowledge, information and the exchange of it. This additionally brings out in a simplifying decisions and transactions.

Humans are organized around a social structure with relationships of experience with constant symbolic interactions between social actors (individuals). Thus these social structure create a consolidated shared meaning through practices that establish values, beliefs and codes of conduct. These meanings are reproduced and fought over, so that whatever "makes sense" has been defined near endlessly.

When it comes to the internet, social media specifically, we see what I call the "politicization and polarization of knowledge". Media BECOMES the place of politics and because of the media's nature the individual can shape their media experience by the theory of Inclusion V.S Exclusion, we included what we deem true and Exclude what we do not. Thus we only see a reinforcement of our own ideals. This is an intellectual danger, I believe, for it cuts us off from others.

Take this scenario for example: Person A is posting about a certain topic on their facebook page stream. Person B, friends with Person A, posts something that is counter to Person A's post. Either one will/could see the others post and seeing it as THEIR stream or THEIR Media deem it as an insult. Look on your facebook, ever notice why the article you share has a bigger picture then the profile pic of the person who shared it???

Castells believes that Social Media is utilized to create a simplified meaning, for him it is Inclusion/Exclusion but I take it a step further with the most prevalent Binary Logic; Good vs Evil. Now I turn to Karl Marx with his ideas of Symbolic violence which is the drive to delete a different code. Marx uses the terms "ruling ideas" and the logic of "oppressor/oppressed" but I find these very loaded terms that muddy debates and understandings.

Let us now apply this our discussion...Let yes examine the political communities, as minor societies and cultures within a larger society. Both utilize and occupy similar spaces both in social media and the physical world. What occurs is individuals taking part in Mass Politics where we surround ourselves with similar minded people based upon mutual understanding and drives. What transpires is the "good" perceptions are allowed in those circles but we cannot fully shut ourselves off from the "evil". Since these differing opinions we see as wrong continue what occurs is Mudslinging and scandal that further drives the two communities apart. By being driven apart we no longer associate ourselves with others based upon their ideals making easier to believe anything we hear about the other.


I know this is a lot and its nowhere near the full extent of the theory but I'm taking some of the important bits off of a notebook with notes from at least seven different sources...

I've struggled over this whole thing myself. Having been disabled from the time I was two, I've become very tuned in to when someone is mocking myself or others. Within the last year, I found my birth family. I made the conscious decision at that point to stay away from politics. When Mr. Trump mocked the disabled reporter that bothered me. When my aunt posted a message that she was upset by it, I felt comfort. Then she let it be known that she was voting for him. Then a cousin said she was voting for him. And finally one of my sisters. That they knew he did this, and yet supported him bothered me. But having only had them in my life for a short while, blood or not, I suppose they owed me no loyalty. So I've kept my mouth shut. Now I see where his policies are going to affect many of them. From coal which is not coming back, to his ideas to cut social security, medicare, and the head of household tax credit. Every single member of my family is potentially going to be affected if these policies are enacted. And rather than tell them I told them this would happen, or they should have been smart enough to see it coming, I worry about them. I genuinely love them, and right now my major concern is that they do all they can to protect themselves from what possibly might come. It might not, I don't know. But I worry for their own safety and well being, just as I do for that of the black community, and the gay community, muslims, etc. I don't want to see anyone suffer, I hope it doesn't happen, but I remember how many people were losing their jobs, their houses, and their financial savings just a decade a go. I want to try and protect them, or get them to protect themselves but I don't know how.

I'm wondering what you would do or say

Nothing. I would do or say nothing.

It's a facebook rant. If I had any advice to give, it would be "save your rants for drunk BBQs" - at least that way only a dozen people hear it, and they're all drunk (and probably your mates)

The author is entitled to their opinions, both day-to-day and during passionate rages.

Until they actually *do* something that I see as impinging on others, sitting at their desk being a keyboard warrior is harmless, and frankly, engaging them is likely to only fuel the fire.


I'm sure there is a teaching somewhere about deliberate inaction.

My answer to facebook Drama these days is really quite simple.

"Un-Friend" & "Hide Post" & Sometimes...Not often...but sometimes....Block.

I've done this to friends......I have done this to family.

In fact...I have done this so much now, Facebook now shows me all the drama on my friends...friends walls....Its really annoying

Simple fact of the matter is....I dont give a _____ what so and so wants to rage rant about. My duty as a Jedi has nothing to do with stupid people flinging poo.

I personally like Trump so far. Been quite pleased with his work.

That's it.

End of story.

Life goes on

I think that the one who wrote this was using phrases such as "I hate you" and "you are a coward" to manifest his frustration. and this kind of political matters tend to polarize situations and this polarization lead to a lot of frustration when one part looses and one wins.

Personally I agree with some of the ideas about not accepting the hate speech and trying to tell people they did wrong from his/her point of view, but the problem is in the tools that are being used to communicate this. Because if you acre criticizing the hate speech with another hate speech, then you are loosing your very point.

So If this speech was directed to me from a very close person, I would like to listen to his/her reasons, and to explain mine to take that decision. Not trying to convince him/her but just to find on which point we can coincide and to understand those that are different.

I have found myself in many situations like this, this have lead to interesting chats, to broadening my mind and in some other cases (just a few) to choose to to keep a relationship if if find the differences unacceptable and irreconcilable.

Ah Facebook , that place where i saw Jedi taking sides in the election , mocking Trump the idiot and choosing sides for Clinton the manipulator and liar .or .. the other way around .does anyone ever think about that? They are both idiots. and the worst thing is , they corrupt even the best of us. I have to do the right thing , even if that is the left one haha , what do i gain when i insult others for their political opinion , geez , i am for legalized drugs , to some here that must be right unacceptable , but where facebook is concerned , i am with Triss

Unfollow .....