Why Are You Like This?
How I learned to distrust authority
Throughout the last five years or so, I’ve often found myself wondering about the types of people who are able to see through the bullshit spouted by the ‘leaders’. I’ve talked to a lot of people about this, and I believe it largely comes down to a distrust of authority. This makes sense - if somebody tells me something, I want to be able to determine if that thing is actually true.
I got my first taste of distrusting authority way back in early grade school. That particular day we were being tested on our ability to read and draw clocks. Simple stuff, and the first few questions went by just fine. 6 o’clock? Big hand 12, little hand 6. Easy Peazy!
The issue came when I was asked to draw 4:30. Because I understand how clocks work, I put the big hand on the 6 and the little hand halfway between 4 and 5.
BZZZZZZT
I was instructed that the proper way to draw 4:30 was to put the big hand on the 6 and the little hand directly on the 4.
For a second I thought she was joking. I even looked at the clock in our classroom: 12:15. And that little hand was definitely NOT right on the 12. “Holy shit, my teacher can’t even tell time!” I thought in second-grade language.
But looking back on this incident with a little more experience, I find what happened next to be fascinating: The rest of the test, I answered the questions INCORRECTLY (using her rules) to save my score. Even though my brain KNEW that she was wrong, I went along with it. How many students were similarly docked that day? We’ll never know, because NOBODY spoke up.
After that, I carried with me a healthy distrust of teachers (and later, politicians). I wanted to see the “sources” of their claims, and was always digging to make sure they were correct. (Mostly, they were) One of my high school teachers would actually give extra credit if we could prove him wrong. (Not coincidentally, he was also the Journalism teacher)
I’m sure some of you have similar stories, and I’d like to hear them! Why are YOU like this?
After dutifully following the "expert" advice of doctors, big pharma and the government's pediatric vaxx schedule, we watched our 17-month-old son regress before our eyes (after his MMR jab).
He's now a junior in a college honors program and a black belt in Kenpo Karate.
However, his recovery from Autism was not without a price. It took 10 years, a quarter million dollars, a good chunk of our marriage, my wife's career (and the lost earning opportunities) and his childhood.
The bright side is, the journey with our son most likely saved us from participating in the biggest medical experiment in the history of mankind.
For me it's a family trait: trust, but with caveats.
Can the trust be verified? What happens to me if the one you trust betrays you? What do you do then? Is it someone actually betraying a trust or is it yourself overreacting due to similar past experiences? (That one is really important!) What recourse is there against a betrayer? Always look at a deal no matter big or small with an eye if it's set up without any kind of tangible liability for any party.
All of this I got from my upbringing, not codified as such but in proverbs and examples and explanations from parents and grandparents.
Trust but verify. Don't confuse your own self with the surface that you use to interact with others: you own self is for you and your family to know, not strangers. Don't give out information which gives others leverage. Learn the difference between knowing what is real, and what the system wants you to know as real - this is why you should keep up with main stream news:
When in the company of true believerswhich you are dependant on, you need to know what you are supposed to know so as to not give the game away. Also, with careful phrasing you can fish for like minded people, only with care: fanatics might do the same to ferret out dissidents.
As you can see, growing up in a socialist democracy leaves it's mark upon those who simply can't kill their own soul, and those who grew up in the real communist dictatorships had it much harsher.
But if I have to pick a similar childhood experience, it's this:
In our third grade book on natural sciences, there was a black and white image of the Milky Way. My grandmother's book on astronomy had that same picture as an example of how you make compound images by extrapolating from radio and other energy sources in space. (Used to read that book with the dictionary next to me. Was grandma proud or what!) But the school's book and our teacher (a lifer) said it was a photograph of the Milky Way.
Taken by satellite from outside the galaxy and sent here via radio.
An argument ensued which got me sent to the principal and psych eval. That psych later barred me from military service, which back then was done by conscription.
"Pathologically anti-authoritarian", it reads.