And yet another one

SLB is very good at sparking debate, even when I don't want to. Especially when I don't want to.

The latest installment is the objectivity of the word "good" in relation to media. We were talking about live action movies based on anime. He wants to see "Akira", I want to see "Ruroni Kenshin". He asked me what made "Ruroni Kenshin" good.

"It's a historical drama," I started. He then said I wasn't answering his question, which led to a discussion on objective "good" versus subjective "good". My point was that "good" is subjective. A book, film or tv series can get A+ on all the technical merits like directing, writing, acting, etcetera, but "good" is still in the eye of the beholder and therefore subjective. His point is that all the technical merits is only what matters when he asks someone "What makes it good?" So I gave him the technical merits I could remember before getting out of the car.

It's a historical drama.
It's about an assassin who gives up killing and carries a reverse edged sword to enforce it.
He meets a female dojo master who offers him a place to stay and doesn't care about his past.
They fall in love.

Now I realize that's more a synopsis then actual technical merits, but we were at work and I was annoyed that he spent a quarter of the drive trying to correct me. As I left I informed him we really need to sit down and figure out where and how these continual miscommunications can be avoided. He disagreed.

*sigh*

Well, well, well.

This is a very interesting situation, LJ-Land. Very interesting indeed. Am I really that shallow? Do I honestly not think that much about anything? Or is it that what I DO think about is all very personal, because I'm trying to grok myself, and the subjects that keep coming up are subjects I'm not interested in? Or is it that I'm also brain damaged, like my mother? Or is it part and parcel of my grief, in that I'm afraid to think about anything too much, because if I do I'll start to care and then it will be taken away from me? Or is it my lack of ability to keep up with friends and loved ones who spend hours and hours educating themselves because I write and crochet instead? Or is it all of those things? Or is it none of those things?

I wonder...

Wondering has made me cranky.

I managed to get things settled with SLB. He was trying to save me time by correcting me about "What is good about Rurouni Kenshin?". I got upset over him correcting me because I was thinking about what made the series good to ME, which is where my mind goes when someone uses "good" as a defining adjective in a question. If he had given me the time to finish thinking, there wouldn't have been an argument. If I thought faster or differently, there wouldn't have been an argument. I didn't have a snap answer. I rarely have a snap answer to "What is good about..." I go for opinion first and technical details second. He wants technical details only because that's how HE thinks. Give him the facts, ma'am, that's all he wants. Just the facts, unbiased by any opinion.

SLB and Zahde are both right in one aspect. I DON'T like having to explain myself and I REALLY DON'T like being told my opinion is not an answer, so stop giving opinions when the other person wants facts. I see the Universe very subjectively. I will agree on basic facts: Gravity works, the Universe is really, really big and evolution is the best working model for how the natural world came to be. Ask me anything that has personal impact; politics, art, sociology and I'm going to be subjective. There's a lot I don't know. There's a lot I don't give a damn about. There's a lot I want to talk about but I've been intimidated by other people. There's a lot I want to talk about that no one else gives a damn about. There's a lot I've tried to talk about and was either ignored or talked over.

I have essentially given up on a lot of subjects and not bothered thinking deeply about them because it was safer. My ex husband and that ex boss are directly involved with this, as is my mother. They would demand answers to questions and then refuse to accept my answers. This is very intimidating and frustrating. If they don't want the answer I have, why do they keep asking? Do they think my answer will change if they keep harping on it? Do they want me to lie? WHAT DO THEY WANT?!? I was afraid and angry at all of them for this. Standing up to them made it worse. Being honest made it worse. I could not win, so why bother?

Since Wolf's death I've grown more backbone. I stand up to SLB when he demands answers, ride out the inevitable fight and storm away instead of flinching and cowering. However, my point of view hasn't changed all that much. Why should I bother when he won't accept my answers? He keeps saying he's trying to make me a better person, to think more deeply and learn to differentiate between fact and opinion. Why? All I have are my opinions, based on my experiences. That's all HE has, why are mine not good enough? How do his opinions become "facts" but mine stay opinions? If we both agree assertiveness is usually a good way to handle a situation, how is polite assertiveness "worse" then blunt, rude assertiveness? Why should we have the EXACT SAME perspective/observations/whathaveyou when we're so different to begin with?

Zahde is much kinder about this. She gives me the time to think more deeply when my answers don't satisfy her and if we start getting into an argument, she respects my request to stop so I don't get overemotional. This way we avoid fights but we don't satisfy her need for debate. I cannot debate. This also stems, I feel, from safety. Raised voices = anger = threat = unsafe. Correction = lack of respect = threat = unsafe. "You're wrong" = judgement = threat = unsafe. I DON'T KNOW HOW TO STOP THIS!!!

Now I'm tired and nauseated from the adrenaline rushes and cranky and I do not feel I've accomplished much at all. I've explained this to both of them more then once and yet it keeps coming back. I'm going to go cry for a while, and then play something and listen to KUEC and drink tea. And maybe eat some chocolate if my tummy settles down.