Because They've Earned It

[DanaC]

I think you and I have quite a lot in common.

I was quite isolated early on, actually through most of my childhood and teenage years, through ill health (not stuff I really want to talk about in detail). It makes one quite.....self-sufficient in many ways.

[Aliantha]

Well I think that's your opinion, and if it works for you that's great rkz, but research suggests that you are probably one of few who have had the ability to do so.

Good on you.

Yup.

Wow! That was a reach.
I agree... but I am not pissed-off about being disabled. That is more on point.

[DanaC]

Actually, I think Happy made a very good point. Society in many ways tries to offset the disadvantages that nature burdens individuals with.

Do you think it is "unfair" that I am sick?

[Happy Monkey]

Originally Posted by rkzenrage

Do you think it is "unfair" that I am sick?

Yes. And handicapped spaces, wheelchair-access laws, and the Americans with Disabilities Act are some of the ways in which society attempts to mitigate the unfairness.

[DanaC]

As unfair as it was that I spent the first sixteen years of my of life 'sick'

As unfair as it is that my Father is dying.

As unfair as it is that one of the most intelligent men I ever met was taught by his teachers that he was stupid.

[9th Engineer]

Experiences may be subjective, but that lays the best argument for saying that the individual is eventually the one in control. Pain is pain, we all suffer it, just in different fashions. However if you were to suffer a specific injury, lets say a broken arm, the pain itself is not what is subjective. The difference between the person quietly suffering and waiting for treatment and the person screaming as if being filleted alive is not the actual level of pain they experience, but how they choose to react to it. The one in control can understand that imparting their misery onto everyone else will not make the pain go away any faster, the screamer feels that the fact that they are experiencing pain lifts all other responsibilities from their shoulders.

[Spexxvet]

Originally Posted by 9th Engineer

Experiences may be subjective, but that lays the best argument for saying that the individual is eventually the one in control. Pain is pain, we all suffer it, just in different fashions. However if you were to suffer a specific injury, lets say a broken arm, the pain itself is not what is subjective. The difference between the person quietly suffering and waiting for treatment and the person screaming as if being filleted alive is not the actual level of pain they experience, but how they choose to react to it. The one in control can understand that imparting their misery onto everyone else will not make the pain go away any faster, the screamer feels that the fact that they are experiencing pain lifts all other responsibilities from their shoulders.

More to the point, a wealthy person probably will get better care for his broken arm than a poor person. That's what this is about. The wealthy get better teachers, better healthcare, nutrition, dentistry, haircuts, skin cream, therapy, tutoring, professionally written resumes, etc. It all goes to why they have an advantage over those who are not as wealthy. No matter how hard a poor person tries, the wealthy person has the edge. Let's face it - it's wealthy people typically who do the hiring. People will typically hire people who are like themselves - it's human nature.

[DanaC]

the screamer feels that the fact that they are experiencing pain lifts all other responsibilities from their shoulders.

Or.....the person screaming feels that screaming in some way helps them deal with their pain.

I don't believe in fair. It is a silly concept that only belongs on board-games.
Each person's worst pain is the worst pain in the world as far as they are concerned.
It drives me nuts when I try to comfort someone when something has happened to them and they say some shit like "I have no right saying anything to you with all that you have been through/go through".

Yelling can release endorphins... it does help in extreme cases. Most yell before they need to or because they are surprised because they did not realize how bad something was going to hurt or (mostly IMO) because they are not used to pain.

My Drs are always amazed at my pain threshold (not a good thing, it is a problem with my meds) due to having always been in pain and my brain/nervous system functions differently. Also, I'm just very stoic about it.

Some pain meds do not work on me, I had a root canal with no working meds once, he did not believe me, did not know my history... that was very bad.

[Aliantha]

I guess 9th has never given birth to a child. lol

[orthodoc]

Originally Posted by Aliantha

I guess 9th has never given birth to a child. lol

I have to roll my eyes when women throw out the old 'men have nothing to say about pain because they've never given birth to a child' chestnut. I've had many types of pain, including labor (four children), and the worst pain I've ever had by far was the pain of cluster headache. Second is migraine. Women don't have a corner on significant pain.

[DanaC]

LoL ali.
many
rkzenrage, I totally agree. But society isn't really about what's fair, it's about what's useful. Is it really useful to society that millions of people don't reach their potential and therefore do not contribute to their fullest ability? How many Einsteins have we lost to the slums? ....how many Darwins never realised their potential? .....how many Ciceros were too busy surviving to write their thoughts?......How many Fords never got the chance to put their ideas into action?