Posted by Homelycygnet on October 8, 2013, at 11:36:15
In reply to Re: false light claims, posted by Willful on October 7, 2013, at 17:31:56
> I thought Bob's comments were meant to ameliorate judgmental responses that people might have.
I don't have any reason to believe that wasn't his purpose. It was his method that troubled me.
>It attempted to draw attention to the vulnerability or difficulty that might lead led someone to respond very defensively to others, or to misapprehend the harm that even critical or unreceptive responses might do.>
> I definitely hope that no slur is attached to a trauma survivor's being hypervigilant, irritable, or having been humiliated. In fact, those would be mild responses I think-- entirely understandable and sympathetic.No of course not. The slur would be that the persons opinions or behaviour was caused by trauma and not by the grievances which were based in reality. It distracts from or discounts the reasons he attributes his behaviour to. The suggestion that Lou in fact exhibits these behaviours is also a slur not based in fact.
>It's not defamatory to try to suggest that if one does find someone's behavior off-putting, that perhaps, if you know something about their personal history-- you may come to be more aware of some trauma or other difficulty that has led to this. And this may cause you to be more mindful that while it may bother you, it is not something to be quick to criticize or blame.
No of course not. A general statement like that is not what is in question though.
>
> I don't think the analogy to a type of defamation is warranted, because there isn't anything defamatory about what was said. Maybe some people might not like it-- but others might find it lightens their experience of their own vulnerabilities== and it could even be helpful to suggest that their responses might be understandable and sympathetic.You might be right. I looked back and I am not sure he actually suggested PTSD as much as described symptoms. I am not a lawyer. I don't know. But I think Bob knew Lou well enough to anticipate that it would hurt him.
>
> We all need to have a little perspective on our limitations-- I'm sure we've all had lapses here-- when we did not act compassionately or were not constructive, but acted impulsively out of frustration or anxiety.
>
> Also ethnic stereotyping doesn't really seem germaine-- because it has been reported that some descendants of holocaust survivors-- and survivors of other genocidal acts-- also struggle with the experiences that their parents and grandparents have had-- and that societies have a tremendous burden in assimilating the long=-term consequences of such outbursts of mass violence of one group against another. This doesn't just apply to the Jewish experience but those of survivors of Nanking, Rwanda, etc-- although perhaps in Western society we're most familiar with the example of WW 2.
I don't agree. Bob was making assumptions directly based on Lou's being Jewish.
>
> I certainly could have more calm perspective in responding to situations here-- and perhaps Bob's intention was to promote that sort of rethinking.
I wish you success in that. I hope I didn't distract from Lou's long overdue discussion with Bob.
Duckling I listen and for many a time I have been half in love and many a time much more
poster:Homelycygnet
thread:1050116
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/admin/20130903/msgs/1051855.html