I think the point is the fact it’s a social construct on its own is neither pro or against the thing itself, rather that it can/should be able to be questioned.
Yes wearing socks is a social construct, but it provides inherent benefits such as reducing the smell produced by your feet and lingering in the shoes. It also helps protect your feet further in some ways then just a shoe alone would.
Sure, things should be questioned, but 9 out of 10 times where I have seen someone bring up social construct as an argument it has always been negative, always used to dismiss the so-called social construct. I can’t really recall a single time where it has been used by people who weren’t going through a rebellious phase where it’s all about being a contrarian and rarely about being genuinely curious about the validity of this and that social construct. Sometimes I have also seen things that are objectively not social constructs being labeled social constructs so I have a hard time taking it seriously when it’s brought up.
Yeah I don’t disagree that a lot of the time, especially when used by kids or edge lords it’s moreso just a way to try to end conversation, but I do think it’s worth having that discussion when it comes up if they’re in good faith.
Like here the op should absolutely explain why it is a social construct instead of what it appears they’re implying they do which is just… Either give up or probably force the kid to do it anyway without explaining.
I was one of those kids who always asked why and most adults just wanted me to shut the fuck up. 🤷♂️ I definitely also was an edge lord in my teens and grew out of that for the most part, but throughout I didn’t lose my curiosity.
I think a lot of kids have that curiosity beaten out of them unfortunately and we should try to encourage it more. Idk tho I swore off having kids
Definitely. I also think that this specific sock case is pretty innocent and a good excuse to have a stimulating discussion with the kiddo about it. I also don’t get why the parent appeared to have just given up, because I do think that one of the most fun conversations I have ever had have been when I talked with kids about how the world works and they ask me questions where I have to think before answering.
And I am completely agreeing with you that it is worth talking about if people are in good faith. It was just never something I came across in the wild a few years back. It was, as you said, always used as a way to end a discussion and actually to get people to not question anything. It’s a social construct, ergo it is bad and questioning why it’s supposedly bad makes you a bigot. So I just have a very ingrown adverse reaction to that term whenever I see it.
Sucks that your inquisitive nature was dampened, but honestly, I think it’s one of the great things we can do for ourselves in adulthood - keep asking questions and find the answers ourselves. I went through a weird knowledge-gathering phase for a few years while working on a worldbuilding project. Got into things I would have never thought about otherwise. Just constant questions about how this and that works, what is this, what is that? Why are things like this? Who does this and that in society? How are continents formed? Where does coffee grow any why? Do dreadlocks remain dreadlocks as they grow? (They do) How were languages formed? How were alphabets formed? How are parasites beneficial to the ecosystem? Can you surgically change a person’s eye color? (You can) How did the Ottoman Empire fall and why? Would gooseberry lollipops be popular with kids? How long does it take to bake bread in a volcano? How old is the oldest tree in the world? (That’s how I learned about Prometheus and the infuriating end to a 5000+ year long lifespan because one stupid university graduate decided that cutting it down for science was more important than letting it live).
Yadda yadda yadda. Honestly, it becomes kind of addictive once you get going with these types of questions. It’s a lot of fun.
I hope you still ask questions, my friend! Don’t let that part of you die 🤗
I’ve never really had many techy friends/family members so that’s where a large amount of my own research/rabbit holes usually go lol.
Like a few months ago I did a whole home server/homelab setup with proxmox several LXCs etc just from a desire to learn. I found Linux way back at age 12 but didn’t really dig too far beyond being able to sit in the corner of our empty house so I could reach my neighbors shared wifi and watch anime/Yt (laptop literally did not function on windows XP when it was gifted to my dad for comparison lol)
Powerautomate for work has been a great time sink and a ton to learn there still and I’m learning how to do sysadmin and web coding things as well.
For like rando interesting facts, it’s hard because without a trigger I can’t usually just come up with a fact even though I might have gone down a 20+tab Wikipedia rabbit hole in a subject haha
Man, all that sounded like a different language to me, but I am also a tech-imbercile 😅 sounds pretty impressive, though that you built your own server. To me that basically sounds like magic when people tell me how they build tech related things. It is so cool.
I completely get what you mean with needing a trigger for researching! I’m like that too. I just cannot get into anything if there isn’t some sort of purpose to it. Currently, my worldbuilding project is in hibernation so I went from basically going to self-learning school every moment of the day for three years to a potato. It’s a bit annoying that you can’t just deliberately trigger a thirst for knowledge or have a normal, steady stream of knowledge gathering. It’s either full fucking throttle or it is dead in the water. At least it’s like that for me.
I think the point is the fact it’s a social construct on its own is neither pro or against the thing itself, rather that it can/should be able to be questioned.
Yes wearing socks is a social construct, but it provides inherent benefits such as reducing the smell produced by your feet and lingering in the shoes. It also helps protect your feet further in some ways then just a shoe alone would.
Yeah often “x is a social construct” as an argument means “you’re treating it as if its immutable and a given”
Sure, things should be questioned, but 9 out of 10 times where I have seen someone bring up social construct as an argument it has always been negative, always used to dismiss the so-called social construct. I can’t really recall a single time where it has been used by people who weren’t going through a rebellious phase where it’s all about being a contrarian and rarely about being genuinely curious about the validity of this and that social construct. Sometimes I have also seen things that are objectively not social constructs being labeled social constructs so I have a hard time taking it seriously when it’s brought up.
Yeah I don’t disagree that a lot of the time, especially when used by kids or edge lords it’s moreso just a way to try to end conversation, but I do think it’s worth having that discussion when it comes up if they’re in good faith.
Like here the op should absolutely explain why it is a social construct instead of what it appears they’re implying they do which is just… Either give up or probably force the kid to do it anyway without explaining.
I was one of those kids who always asked why and most adults just wanted me to shut the fuck up. 🤷♂️ I definitely also was an edge lord in my teens and grew out of that for the most part, but throughout I didn’t lose my curiosity.
I think a lot of kids have that curiosity beaten out of them unfortunately and we should try to encourage it more. Idk tho I swore off having kids
Definitely. I also think that this specific sock case is pretty innocent and a good excuse to have a stimulating discussion with the kiddo about it. I also don’t get why the parent appeared to have just given up, because I do think that one of the most fun conversations I have ever had have been when I talked with kids about how the world works and they ask me questions where I have to think before answering.
And I am completely agreeing with you that it is worth talking about if people are in good faith. It was just never something I came across in the wild a few years back. It was, as you said, always used as a way to end a discussion and actually to get people to not question anything. It’s a social construct, ergo it is bad and questioning why it’s supposedly bad makes you a bigot. So I just have a very ingrown adverse reaction to that term whenever I see it.
Sucks that your inquisitive nature was dampened, but honestly, I think it’s one of the great things we can do for ourselves in adulthood - keep asking questions and find the answers ourselves. I went through a weird knowledge-gathering phase for a few years while working on a worldbuilding project. Got into things I would have never thought about otherwise. Just constant questions about how this and that works, what is this, what is that? Why are things like this? Who does this and that in society? How are continents formed? Where does coffee grow any why? Do dreadlocks remain dreadlocks as they grow? (They do) How were languages formed? How were alphabets formed? How are parasites beneficial to the ecosystem? Can you surgically change a person’s eye color? (You can) How did the Ottoman Empire fall and why? Would gooseberry lollipops be popular with kids? How long does it take to bake bread in a volcano? How old is the oldest tree in the world? (That’s how I learned about Prometheus and the infuriating end to a 5000+ year long lifespan because one stupid university graduate decided that cutting it down for science was more important than letting it live).
Yadda yadda yadda. Honestly, it becomes kind of addictive once you get going with these types of questions. It’s a lot of fun. I hope you still ask questions, my friend! Don’t let that part of you die 🤗
Right on!
Luckily I ignored everyone telling me to stop and once I got the internet… Yeah similar to your paragraph lol the rabbit hole of how and why is deep!
So glad to hear it! And yes, oh God, how deep that rabbit hole goes! What are some crazy/interesting places you have ended up?
I’ve never really had many techy friends/family members so that’s where a large amount of my own research/rabbit holes usually go lol.
Like a few months ago I did a whole home server/homelab setup with proxmox several LXCs etc just from a desire to learn. I found Linux way back at age 12 but didn’t really dig too far beyond being able to sit in the corner of our empty house so I could reach my neighbors shared wifi and watch anime/Yt (laptop literally did not function on windows XP when it was gifted to my dad for comparison lol)
Powerautomate for work has been a great time sink and a ton to learn there still and I’m learning how to do sysadmin and web coding things as well.
For like rando interesting facts, it’s hard because without a trigger I can’t usually just come up with a fact even though I might have gone down a 20+tab Wikipedia rabbit hole in a subject haha
Man, all that sounded like a different language to me, but I am also a tech-imbercile 😅 sounds pretty impressive, though that you built your own server. To me that basically sounds like magic when people tell me how they build tech related things. It is so cool.
I completely get what you mean with needing a trigger for researching! I’m like that too. I just cannot get into anything if there isn’t some sort of purpose to it. Currently, my worldbuilding project is in hibernation so I went from basically going to self-learning school every moment of the day for three years to a potato. It’s a bit annoying that you can’t just deliberately trigger a thirst for knowledge or have a normal, steady stream of knowledge gathering. It’s either full fucking throttle or it is dead in the water. At least it’s like that for me.
I’m guessing you’re likely also somewhere on the ADHD/Autism spectrum like me.