"when true simplicity is gained / to bow and to bend we shan't be ashamed"

[larryhammer]

How tone policing protects privilege. (via Janni)

Magnets and Marbles. (via)

Sandra Boyton and the Highly Irritating Orchestra give us Bolero Completely Unraveled. It's even better if you imagine it performed by cattle and poultry. (via)

---L.

Subject quote from "Simple Gifts," Joseph Brackett.

Comments

[puddleshark.livejournal.com]

Oh, those magnets and marbles! *shakes head in awe*

Thank you!

[larryhammer]

Complicated play at its finest.

[cat-i-th-adage.livejournal.com]

I think my problem with the tone policing comic is that it says that diplomacy is pointless, or wicked, or nonexistent. It says that all those times someone politely complained about something, and their problem was politely listened to, and dealt with, those times don't count.

It offers no alternatives; it models no problem-solving behaviour. It doesn't say, 'Hey there - if you make a point of listening when people speak quietly, they're less likely to feel the need to shout.' It doesn't say, 'So someone is pinning your ears back and you don't feel you deserve it: take a breath and listen anyway 'cause maybe they have a point.'

It turns a lifetime of me being trained to listen first and shout last into a ridiculous farce. It turns complex debates into a reductive game of Whoever Shouts First Is Right. It turns anybody who dislikes being screamed at into a villain.

So. As someone who tries hard to be a good listener, even if there's shouting: I hate that fucking comic.

Please excuse the language.

[larryhammer]

Fair points. Ones I need to think about.

[cat-i-th-adage.livejournal.com]

Er, sorry if I came across a bit strong. You didn't deserve to be sworn at.

[larryhammer]

Not too strong at me -- no worries.