nobleplatypus | Pet Peeve of the Random Time Increment

Current Mood: grumpy

Pet Peeve of the Random Time Increment

I really, really hate it when people act like reproduction is the meaning of life.

I hate it when idiots assert that humanity's meaning is tied up in the same base instinctual drives that every other creature possesses. I hate it when they act like this "knowledge" is something to be smug about, like all the fools who think otherwise will soon see the error of their ways. I hate it when they cite Darwin, who must be rolling in his grave to hear his theory so misapplied.

If the meaning of life was procreation--if that is all anyone honestly cared about, if that was the only thing many people found important--there wouldn't be a theory of evolution. There wouldn't be literature, there wouldn't be science, we'd still be in the damn TREES because our innate curiosity would have taken a back seat to the Grand Purpose of banging the nearest member of the opposite sex. Darwin had ten children as is; do you think he would have set foot on the Beagle if he thought procreation was the be all and end all of his existence?

But what annoys me most is the ingratitude these idiots demonstrate with their dumbing down of humanity, the lack of appreciation for the gifts we have been given. Don't they realize how great and special it is that human beings are the only creatures on earth who can defy instinct? It's like whining, "I can't believe God gave me self-awareness, curiosity, and a moral compass for Christmas instead of the fuck-buddy I asked for! I'm not writing a thank-you note!"

No.

I would say "fuck you," but I don't think anyone should.

(x-posted)

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I love you.

Amen to that, I agree with you 100%.

Hey, don't be so harsh on the fucking - it's not that bad. *G* (Especially if it's between pretty boys, but that's another discussion.)

One can have plenty of hetero fucking without reproduction. Of course, the impediment to that is current guiding thought in some places that women shouldn't be allowed access to tubal ligations, the morning-after pill, abortions, or - in some quarters - even basic birth control! (I know you've read the same entries I have about men not having nearly as hard a time getting vasectomies as women do securing THEIR basic reproductive rights. And we have a mutual friend who couldn't get a hysterectomy if Bill Gates paid for it, even though she medically requires it for improved health and well-being.)

"I can't believe God gave me self-awareness, curiosity, and a moral compass for Christmas instead of the fuck-buddy I asked for! I'm not writing a thank-you note!"

I humbly request that you marry me immediately.

Well, I posted my views on the asexuality x-post because they're more helpful over there, although I can be slightly more profane here. ;)

Sometimes I wonder if these people have suffered a lobotomy of some kind or something. I mean, do they seriously expect people to sit around going 'OMG, I haven't procreated yet, I will never know the joyous, child-filled, meaning of life! Woe is me!'? People who can't (or won't) have children still manage to live interesting and productive lives. Not everyone has to contribute to society via their loins, and to be honest, I'd prefer it if less people did. There are far too many humans screwing up the planet anyway!

/rant

This is why I support the Anthonian idea of mass sterilisation. People need to be forced to take classes to be parents, and prove that they can afford to take care of children. When Billy Bob Brown and Cindy Lou Who deside they wanna have a bay-bee, they'll have to go to college and get good jobs... and hopefully, after widening their experiences, see that there's other stuff out there than getting knocked up and living on welfare.

*snugs you*

Word, yo.

i would like to metaquote the fuckbuddy line if i could :)

I think overall you're right and I love your metaphor...but just to defend evolution for a second. Evolution doesn't predict that reproduction should overwhelm drives like intelligence and morality, nor is the existence of such drives outside the explanatory range of evolution. Evolution predicts that drives like intelligence and morality will exist to serve the need to reproduce. Human beings are intelligent because smarter proto-humans were better able to figure out how to get food and resist predators, and therefore could reproduce more. We're moral because a society in which each human is willing to sacrifice him or herself for the good of the group is a more cohesive society and, on average, is able to reproduce more (source: studies with prairie dogs (http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-inclusive-fitness.htm)). As such, I don't believe we ever defy our instinctual drives, only strike a balance between various instinctual drives of different levels, all of which originally existed to perpetuate genetic material.

(This is all sort of reminding me of Paul Erdös and his "Sex is the mathematics urge sublimated" spiel)

But to treat evolution as if it has feelings or preferences is silly. It sounds like the people about whom you're talking want to think that you're somehow offending evolution and making baby Darwin cry. On the other hand, for you to accuse people with a stronger sex drive than intellectual drive of "ingratitude" sounds like the same "heresy". From an evolutionary standpoint, there is no meaning to life that makes one set of drives better than another. Evolution is just the observation that things that self-perpetuate tend to be around more than things that don't.

I hope you don't mind that detailed and contrarian a response. If you ask me not to do it again, I'll listen.

You win at life. I'd ask you to marry me, but apparently others have beat me to it.

Lol, I tried to reply to you and ended up posting on metaquotes by mistake...as you will see from this exchange.

"I can't believe God gave me self-awareness, curiosity, and a moral compass for Christmas instead of the fuck-buddy I asked for! I'm not writing a thank-you note!"

I really liked your whole post, lol that laat line, somebody metaquoted you which is how I got to see it. I hope it's ok that I added you, I will be interested to see what else write.

I see you are APOD, maybe you will enjoy my infrequent posts...they are some of the photos for use in my Astronomy course.
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fleurdelista
2006-07-24 02:48 am UTC (link)
psst. you posted this in metaquotes.
(Reply to this)(Parent) (Thread)

pajanada
2006-07-24 03:04 am UTC (link)
Comment Posted Successfully
Hahahaha...damn...now you see what I mean about infrequent posts! I hardly know how to use this. Anyway, I thought it was a good post...whoever/wherever it came from.
(Reply to this)(Parent)

Is this random? or did something remind you of it and it's been stewing in you forever and you just waited to burst?

very amusing post. i was wondering if you wouldn't mind me adding you. we seem to have quite a bit in common, and ~~despite whatever my userinfo says~~ i like adding new people who are intelligent. :) plus it's always nice to meet other english lit majors.

Now, see, this is why I play on LJ. Because sometimes someone else will say what I think much more eloquently than I would ever be able to.

You rock. :D

Hear, hear. That also annoys me, the people who say that forget what sets us apart from animals. We do share some things with other creatures, but we're different. If we weren't, we wouldn't be thinking about what makes us different or similar in the first place.

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Here from Metaquotes

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ok

another stray from metaquotes

Totally another follower from Metaquotes. I am original.

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