Two Guardian blog pieces

[rozk]

One, about trans-positive and -negative language, was written ages ago and is now up here and the other, about demonic possession and its drift back into political discourse is here.

The demoonic possession one has some very interesting comments along the lines of 'if you had seen what I have seen, you would not mock' and demands that I read exorcism manuals before mocking.

Here's the thing - I am reasonably sure that a lot of people who do believe in possession, believe that I am possessed. They want either to kill me, or stop me being me. Am I really supposed to study their offensive nonsense in depth? I have better things to do with my time. I am, as it happens, reasonably well-informed in these matters, without being obsessional.

What I want to know is - where exactly north of Holborn is it that teenager-killing Baal cultists hang out? One would rather not intrude on the pub where they drink. Enquiring minds want to know.

Oh, and then there's the 'if no one identified as anything, there wouldn't be any problem' comment on the trans piece. Yep, and Americans have abolished class distinctions by never talking about class...

Comments

[calimac.livejournal.com]

Show some film of it, without sfx or other trickery, made under laboratory conditions, and then I'll start to consider whether to believe it.

[ibnfirnas.livejournal.com]

This is my point: I don't care whether or not you believe it. Why should I? In what way do I benefit from you agreeing that my subjective experiences are objectively valid, and in what way am I harmed if you don't? I'm not interested in convincing anyone. Or making it government policy. Or any other such nonsense. I don't think where my religious convictions fall ought to bear any more weight on other people than who I fall in love with--I can't prove under laboratory conditions that I love my wife, either, and it doesn't matter, because it's nobody else's business and I don't ever plan to make it anyone else's business.

[mevennen.livejournal.com]

I am friending you right now on the strength of these posts and I hope that's OK. I work in an occult industry.

I do believe, for the record, that demons are separate entities. Do I think they're Evil with a capital E? No. Do I think that people who exhibit traits which are apart from the 'norm' are possessed? Definitely not, and I don't like treating the supernatural as an excuse for rampant prejudice. Do supernatural entities have a different agenda? Yes, I think they do, and there's sometimes a clash with that.

In the last week, we've had to deal with a possessed washing machine and a pair of cursed pyjamas. I give you, my working life.

[calimac.livejournal.com]

You wrote in a context of implying that this subjective experience has an objective basis.

And if you really, really don't care whether anybody believes you, why bother to tell them about it?

[ibnfirnas.livejournal.com]

Golly, you must be fun at cocktail parties.

Because sharing with others is interesting and nice? Because it would be dishonest to give my perspective on the matter without mentioning the biases of my perspective? To provide a counterpoint of someone whose universe seems to share a number of elements but who isn't dangerous or murderous or trying to make others conform to it? Seriously, do we want to play the "what's really objective anyway" game, or can we just accept that you're a very clever man, Sahib, but it's turtles all the way down?

[calimac.livejournal.com]

But if you say that you believe in the existence of something whose existence is controversial, others are likely to reply with, for instance, their skepticism. And for somebody who believes this is merely interesting conversational fodder, you sure are sensitive over other people's beliefs. Try getting a thicker skin.