The Subjects You Are Most Passionate About or Invested In

[Debater Slayer]

What are the subjects, if any, about which you care so much that you sometimes or occasionally find yourself having to pull the brakes on your passion and investment while forming opinions about or discussing something related to said subjects?

In a nutshell, what subjects are most prone to making you need a conscious effort to rein in your biases, emotions, etc., when you're discussing or thinking about them?

 

[Rachel Rugelach]

What are the subjects, if any, about which you care so much that you sometimes or occasionally find yourself having to pull the brakes on your passion and investment while forming opinions about or discussing something related to said subjects?

In a nutshell, what subjects are most prone to making you need a conscious effort to rein in your biases, emotions, etc., when you're discussing or thinking about them?

Injustice; unfair treatment. Either directed at myself or directed at someone else (especially someone whom I care about). If I find myself treating someone else unfairly, I'm appalled and ashamed. So, it's difficult for me to understand why someone who is a bully or an ******* can just callously shrug off their own behavior of treating someone unjustly. I hope that I'm as hard on myself for those times when I've been unjust, as I might be on someone else who is unjust.

 

[Rival]

It's become fashionable to hate my country, England, and Anglo-Saxons lately. Some places are even thinking of removing the name 'Anglo-Saxon'. I find it hard to keep my cool when so many people think it's acceptable to **** all over my country and try erasing my people.

 

[Debater Slayer]

It's become fashionable to hate my country, England, and Anglo-Saxons lately.

Are you talking about a movement doing this inside England itself or one outside it?

I've noticed that there's a tendency in some historical and political discussions to demonize or denigrate an entire country and its culture—even though both may have a long and complicated history with a lot of ups and downs—based on specific events or circumstances that don't give the full picture. I've seen this happen in discussions about the UK, China, Russia, France, the US, and Egypt, among others.

And to answer the OP, myself: Two subjects I'm deeply invested in, especially because of the history of my country and region as well as my family's history (and experiences of certain friends), are colonialism and military aggression. Sometimes I've made the decision to step away from a discussion and contemplate it away from the heat of debate because of how personal these subjects are to me. I believe stepping away sometimes helps one to think more clearly and elaborately about a subject.

Some places are even thinking of removing the name 'Anglo-Saxon'. I find it hard to keep my cool when so many people think it's acceptable to **** all over my country and try erasing my people.

Ah, interesting. I had no idea about that. I've never had an issue with the name, myself—even despite my feelings about colonialism.

 

[Rival]

Are you talking about a movement doing this inside England itself or one outside it?

Mostly foreigners who have a serious hatred of England but also natives and US folks - not Britain hatred, just England. There's this undercurrent of it's alright if you're from one of the Celtic nations and everyone gets to hate on England. If a person is then saying it's because of the Empire then they are being seriously hypocritical because the Scots were just as bad in the British Empire, esp. in Canada, yet they're immune, so it just feels like Anglophobia.

Why We Should Avoid Using the Name 'Anglo-Saxon' - Tales of Times Forgotten

As many of my readers are probably already aware, on 16 April 2021, Punchbowl News released documents, which revealed that Trump allies in the Republican Party, led by Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia and Representative Paul Gosar of Arizona, had founded what they were calling...

talesoftimesforgotten.com

Misnaming the Medieval: Rejecting "Anglo-Saxon" Studies

‘Anglo-Saxons’ has long been associated with the early English people, but this label suffers from a long history of misuse. Mary Rambaran-Olm explores the racist legacy of this term.

www.historyworkshop.org.uk

There are folks fighting this, but if you replace 'Anglo-Saxon' with 'Jew/Jewish' you see the problem.

 

[Debater Slayer]

Mostly foreigners who have a serious hatred of England - not Britain, just England. There's this undercurrent of it's alright if you're from one of the Celtic nations and everyone gets to hate on England. If a person is then saying it's because of the Empire then they are being seriously hypocritical because the Scots were just as bad in the British Empire, esp. in Canada, yet they're immune, so it just feels like Anglophobia.

Yeah, hating countries on the basis of their having an imperialist or colonialist past would leave us with a lot of countries to hate forever.

The worst is when someone denounces one form of imperialism that was led by one country (e.g., the UK or Turkey) but endorses other instances of imperialism and tries to glorify them based on the country that carried them out or the goals of the imperialism (e.g., spreading a religion or expanding a caliphate).

Why We Should Avoid Using the Name 'Anglo-Saxon' - Tales of Times Forgotten

As many of my readers are probably already aware, on 16 April 2021, Punchbowl News released documents, which revealed that Trump allies in the Republican Party, led by Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia and Representative Paul Gosar of Arizona, had founded what they were calling...

talesoftimesforgotten.com

Misnaming the Medieval: Rejecting "Anglo-Saxon" Studies

‘Anglo-Saxons’ has long been associated with the early English people, but this label suffers from a long history of misuse. Mary Rambaran-Olm explores the racist legacy of this term.

www.historyworkshop.org.uk

There are folks fighting this, but if you replace 'Anglo-Saxon' with 'Jew/Jewish' you see the problem.

Interesting articles. Thanks for sharing them.

Regarding the first article, I think the context in the US may differ quite a bit from that in Europe, due to current events. I can see why a party proclaiming to advance "Anglo-Saxon political traditions" in the US could be seen as ethnically supremacist, especially when political traditions have so much more to do with regional and geopolitical developments than with ethnicity.

I don't know enough about the term's history or the general controversy around it to make an informed comment on either, though. I'll read more about it now that you've mentioned this controversy; it strikes me as a topic well worth exploring.

 

[Rival]

Yeah, hating countries on the basis of their having an imperialist or colonialist past would leave us with a lot of countries to hate forever.

The worst is when someone denounces one form of imperialism that was led by one country (e.g., the UK or Turkey) but endorses other instances of imperialism and tries to glorify them based on the country that carried them out or the goals of the imperialism (e.g., spreading a religion or expanding a caliphate).



Interesting articles. Thanks for sharing them.

Regarding the first article, I think the context in the US may differ quite a bit from that in Europe, due to current events. I can see why a party proclaiming to advance "Anglo-Saxon political traditions" in the US could be seen as ethnically supremacist, especially when political traditions have so much more to do with regional and geopolitical developments than with ethnicity.

I don't know enough about the term's history or the general controversy around it to make an informed comment on either, though. I'll read more about it now that you've mentioned this controversy; it strikes me as a topic well worth exploring.

The term 'Anglo-Saxon' has no such connotations here at all, it's US phenomenon and it's very sad. It's not something that needs importing here.

 

[Debater Slayer]

The term 'Anglo-Saxon' has no such connotations here at all, it's US phenomenon and it's very sad. It's not something that needs importing here.

You too are enjoying imported American politics over there? We should have some tea and commiserate about this shared aspect of human struggle.

 

[VoidCat]

Disability.

 

[Twilight Hue]

It's become fashionable to hate my country, England, and Anglo-Saxons lately. Some places are even thinking of removing the name 'Anglo-Saxon'. I find it hard to keep my cool when so many people think it's acceptable to **** all over my country and try erasing my people.

I know the feeling.

 

[sayak83]

What are the subjects, if any, about which you care so much that you sometimes or occasionally find yourself having to pull the brakes on your passion and investment while forming opinions about or discussing something related to said subjects?

In a nutshell, what subjects are most prone to making you need a conscious effort to rein in your biases, emotions, etc., when you're discussing or thinking about them?

I am passionate about preserving the global ecosystem, staving off global warming and living sustainably with the environment. But I do not think I loose my cool on these topics

 

[Debater Slayer]

I am passionate about preserving the global ecosystem, staving off global warming and living sustainably with the environment. But I do not think I loose my cool on these topics

Yes, I don't lose my cool about the subjects in which I'm most invested either, if you're referring to getting angry. I'm talking about any strong emotions or deeply personal connection toward specific subjects.

I admire efforts to address climate change and preserve ecosystems, especially at this time when the climate crisis is intensifying. Thanks for your work!

 

[ChristineM]

What are the subjects, if any, about which you care so much that you sometimes or occasionally find yourself having to pull the brakes on your passion and investment while forming opinions about or discussing something related to said subjects?

In a nutshell, what subjects are most prone to making you need a conscious effort to rein in your biases, emotions, etc., when you're discussing or thinking about them?

Equality
Racism
Animal cruelty
Climate change

 

[Jayhawker Soule]

What are the subjects, if any, about which you care so much that you sometimes or occasionally find yourself having to pull the brakes on your passion and investment while forming opinions about or discussing something related to said subjects?

In a nutshell, what subjects are most prone to making you need a conscious effort to rein in your biases, emotions, etc., when you're discussing or thinking about them?

Xenophobia.

 

[Quintessence]

There are two topics of conversation I tend to stay out of because they represent very direct and personal attacks against me - trans rights and women's rights. I dealt with guff growing up as a nonconforming kid, and seeing increased toxicity and outright attacks against humans who refuse to fit into a black-and-white sex or gender binary is infuriating. Add to that attacks on women that make it more uncomfortable than ever to be stuck in this body I didn't want or ask for. The level of vitriol for monsters imposing forced birth and oppressing the nonconforming? Words are insufficient.

On the plus side, one thing you learn when things inherent to your being are attacked by your own country is a privilege check. This plus the DEI training I've done at the university has really pulled some wool off my eyes. America has never, at any point in its history, been the land of the free. But at its best, it consistently strives to get there - dismantling the harms of the patriarchy, making amends for race-based injustices, providing equal opportunities for improvement - in spite of being constantly stymied by "conservatives" who want to keep their privilege.

 

[mikkel_the_dane]

What are the subjects, if any, about which you care so much that you sometimes or occasionally find yourself having to pull the brakes on your passion and investment while forming opinions about or discussing something related to said subjects?

In a nutshell, what subjects are most prone to making you need a conscious effort to rein in your biases, emotions, etc., when you're discussing or thinking about them?

When someone starts on abnormal and disorders.
Or do everything with obejctively with rationality and evidence.

 

[syo]

Yugioh. But I don't debate about it.

 

[Yazata]

I spend a lot of time watching SpaceX construct giant science-fiction-style interplanetary spaceships in Boca Chica Texas. (On the livestreams, not in person.) There's a whole community of people that do that and I've grown friendly with them.

I also retain my lifelong interests in philosophy and biology (and inevitably, the philosophy of biology). I still read and think about those subjects quite a bit.

The philosophy of religion has always interested me, which is why I post here I guess.

As to the subject where I have to rein in my emotions the most, that's probably politics. Much of what happens in the political world makes me very angry and I find the whole subject tremendously divisive. There are many people, including family, with whom I might find much in common if it weren't for political differences. So I try to avoid politics, even though (and probably because) I feel very strongly about it.

 

[Jainarayan]

What are the subjects, if any, about which you care so much that you sometimes or occasionally find yourself having to pull the brakes on your passion and investment while forming opinions about or discussing something related to said subjects?

In a nutshell, what subjects are most prone to making you need a conscious effort to rein in your biases, emotions, etc., when you're discussing or thinking about them?

Things that rattle my cage, rattle and yank my chain, poke my inner dragon and bear, and beliefs and opinions I have...

• That there are people who are still opposed to same sex marriage and adoption of children by same sex couples, and want to see these reversed.
• That people are bothered by transpeople, bothered by the rights of people to live as they feel is best for them. By and large, it's none of "your" ("your" meaning the general population at large) business.
• I'm truly reluctant to bring up my feelings about the pandemic, even answering the question of what sets me off; how it was handled and how people reacted. Suffice to say I usually refer to it by replacing "pan" with four letters that include c a s m not necessarily in that order. Not that I disbelieve the virus exists, that people sickened and died. I never denied that for a moment. Rather it's how companies used it for their own greedy purposes, eliminating jobs. They didn't eliminate the work, which was parceled out to other employees, just the jobs being eliminated, saving salaries and benefits. For example, my company eliminated my almost-six figure salary, four weeks of vacation they paid me to do nothing, and my insurance premiums, premiums that grew as I age.
• Pharmaceutical companies coming up with and advertising all kinds of new drugs and vaccines seemingly being rolled out fast and loose. For example, a tv commercial voiceover goes "Talk to your child's doctor about all the vaccines your child may need". All the vaccines? This is not the basic smallpox, MMR, chickenpox, HPV, meningitis. Granted, these things exist, but my generation, the generation before me and the generation or two behind me largely did not have these vaccinations, and yet here we are! I never got the MMR vaccine. I got the measles vaccine. I never got the chickenpox: I dodged that bullet. But I'm deathly afraid of anyone who has them. I got the mumps when I was about five, I got the "German measles" when I was about 13.
• People going on and on and on about Trump. Oh for **** sakes, give it a rest already. I should live so many places rent-free as he lives rent-free in people's heads.

These are subjects I have little to no patience for to discuss anymore. Admittedly, I've gotten into some serious verbal donnybrooks in the past. In total truth, these discussions almost caused me to leave the site and resign my staff position (no, I haven't resigned or disappeared, just gotten fat and lazy, which I am duty-bound to correct... the lazy part anyway ). Despite my DRD2 gene (the one that prevents one from learning from their mistakes, and making one repeat the same mistakes over and over) I am learning to pick my battles.

Well, you did ask.

 

[Erebus]

What are the subjects, if any, about which you care so much that you sometimes or occasionally find yourself having to pull the brakes on your passion and investment while forming opinions about or discussing something related to said subjects?

In a nutshell, what subjects are most prone to making you need a conscious effort to rein in your biases, emotions, etc., when you're discussing or thinking about them?

I can get pretty frustrated debating trans rights and often avoid taking part in anti-trans threads on RF. It's just not good for my blood pressure.

It feels like trans people are deemed an acceptable target in the UK and even our more supposedly respectable media outlets aren't above taking shots at them. We've acquired the nickname "TERF Island" for good reason and I honestly find it sickening that so many people here can express outright bigotry in a dispassionate, pseudo-intellectual manner.

While I'm not defending them, I actually find the loud and proud bigots more honest.