www.simoncollier.ca

I was sitting in my lower circle seat in the theatre, waiting for the Video Games Live show to begin, pondering away the minutes. It occurred to me how many odd looking people there were in the audience, and I hoped (fruitlessly) that someone on the upper circle was not looking down at me thinking exactly the same thing.

The contrast of the situation was glaring: A beautiful, clean, grand theatre hall with red carpets, velvet curtains and decorated balconies in a very tall room… populated with strangely-shaped and unusually hairy people in black t-shirts and jeans.

Then a thought caught me completely off guard. My usual filtering mechanisms were not working; maybe because I was tired after the day at work, or perhaps because I was in an unusual environment. Either way, the idea stormed its way into my head faster than I could stop it and the immediate imagery was inescapable.

Ugly Naked Geek Sex.

I tried to think of something else, but my mind would keep returning. Everywhere I looked I saw people whose imagined naked body scared and disturbed me, AND I COULDN’T TURN IT OFF. More and more images inundated my brain as I looked around the room for something – ANYTHING – that could take my mind off this frightening topic. But as I scanned the room, fuel was added to the flames and naked geek sex turned into a naked geek orgy and I could only wince and hope that someone would fall off the balcony above and knock me unconscious.

Thankfully, the show started, and was an excellent distraction for the remainder of the evening.

Ugh.

I’ve heard it said that people get annoyed when they hear an argument that hits home for them; that makes them look bad or feel stupid. This makes sense of course, it’s never a triumphant feeling to realise a conviction you hold is selfish, illogical or immoral. It’s even more irritating when the irrefutable argument, if accepted, would mean you have to change your behaviour in a way that inconveniences you, or costs you money.

This is seen clearly when we consider issues such as climate change, where drivers of huge off-road vehicles that drive exclusively on city roads don’t want to give up their penis compensation, or can’t be bothered to take public transport or walk.

We can see it where the logic and ethics are clear: that health care should be accessible for everyone; that children should be educated; and that the homeless should be given shelter. But when it comes time to volunteer money to fund these ideologies, The People vote Conservative to keep their taxes down.

What I mean to say here is that I acknowledge the point: People are often infuriated at an argument not because it’s wrong, but because it does not suit them to agree. It would undermine their interests, or their connected beliefs.

When that argument is made, it is sometimes forgotten that there is another circumstance that would provoke a similar outrage: Ignorance. If the argument being made is so illogical, so weak, so self-serving or so discriminating that it is offensive to read and impossible to logically argue, then it can provoke a reaction that is similar in appearance but critically different in origin.

When someone shows frustration or fury at your argument, step back and think: Is it because the reader’s argument is stupid, or because yours is?