I am going to explain to you in detail what is happening to you. Your parents, your teachers, your culture told you how things are. Then the system and the media manipulated these concepts to their advantage. You accepted them unconditionally and lived according to these certainties; that’s how your life went, just like the majority. And reinforced by the majority.
Today, edging towards the passage into old age, you're still convinced that, for example, that thing with four legs in front of you is a table, just as you were told. One fine day you have the misfortune (or luck) of running into one of those few who didn’t settle for what they were told, and he makes you notice that tables don’t bark. Whether or not you're capable of understanding what the guy intends to make you see, you don't give the slightest chance to what he says. Unless, of course, from your prejudice you consider him an authority, especially if he is someone who announces it through the media and, as a consequence, overnight you see how the majority, without any basis, changes their opinion about the matter in question. It's not about understanding reasons, it's about accepting orders, as you have been doing your whole life. Understanding reasons and, even more difficult, changing your habits accordingly would imply giving up the comfort of letting others think and choose for you. For the same price, by not finding out about the details or the consequences of your actions, there is no responsibility, no guilt, no stress. Of course, who would even think of blaming a ‘humble worker’ who ‘pays his taxes’ for the direction the world is going! When things end up screwing up, which inevitably happens when they are done without thinking, you blame the government and the multinationals, when their only option, given human nature as history shows, is to sell and resell the same candy over and over again with different wrappers.
So, faced with the awkward situation with that guy, you resort to evasive maneuvers, and on this you really have a sharp mind! You start with the most worn-out line, “I think differently” or “I don’t agree,” you tell him, assuming that it’s enough to end the debate. With an ace up your sleeve: if the guy keeps arguing, you accuse him of not accepting that others have different opinions—the fascist is him, not you.
Maybe valid with religion, tastes, and preferences, but with thought, if you don't agree, you need to put your own argument on the table. Since you never stopped to analyze anything in your life, there is nothing you can contribute to the discussion; at the insistence of the guy and in increasing order of ridiculousness, you resort to the second evasive maneuver: mocking, like a child in front of an adult's authority. From your point of view, you assume it's easy to make the guy look ridiculous, that he will feel terrible about himself when you make him see that he's the only one refusing to accept what everyone else does. “Do you think everyone else is crazy except you?” you say as a finishing blow, convinced that he will crumble inside.
But the bold guy keeps analyzing and debating; it seems like a daily routine for him. The final move remains: playing the offended party. You point out to him that he is disrespecting your family, your relatives, your ancestors, your culture, and tradition, just by suggesting that that furry thing now lifting its leg and peeing on his shoe is not a table. If he still insists, it’s a matter of calling neighbors or local friends who, not by coincidence, think exactly like you and have exactly the same tastes, so that together you can push him out of town.
©2025 - Walter Alejandro Iglesias