Taking the Bait

[monster]

OK, so we have a couple of posters, maybe more, who pride themselves on having the most rational minds around because they eliminate emotion from their arguments. They also seem the most likely to "take the bait" when one goes fishing for eejits. Are the two related? Do you need emotion to spot "traps"? Or should plain logic do that for you too?/

I just read Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Piccoult. Not my usual stuff, but I didn't put it down. The "losers" in that seemed to fail to understand emotion so tried to live life without, and it resulted in being their downfall. (Don't panic, the "baiters" got theirs too.....)

Is emotion really a fault? Or is it a tool?

[wolf]

All the better to manipulate you with.

Did we learn nothing from Star Trek?

[Trilby]

emotion--a thing i used to sincerely believe could, and would, kill me. That was long ago, but a huge part of me--and critics would argue it's STILL a huge part of me (everyone here should mentally congratulate themselves for not knowing me as a teen)--is emotional-anyhoodle; emotions have nearly killed me but often have saved me. I can feel the most vile hatred but I can also feel the most tender, whisper-soft love--so. Am I a freak?

Don't answer that.

[Bullitt]

Nope, you're just human.
Dang answered that, sorry.
Emotions obviously have their place in our existence at this point in time, otherwise they wouldn't be here you know. Just like most anything else about us they can be useful and harmful when taken to any extreme.

[Aliantha]

There's a time and a place for everything, including different emotions. For instance, I think it's really poor form to go and cry at your boss at the drop of a hat. We all have shit days, but that's why it's compulsory to have toilets in the workplace.

Emotions are things that're pretty hard to ignore though. I'm very emotional in my personal life, although not to the point where people feel they've got to pussy foot around.

Sometimes i cry during kleenex ads if that helps you understand what I mean.

Originally Posted by monster

~snip~ Do you need emotion to spot "traps"? Or should plain logic do that for you too? ~snip~

Is emotion really a fault? Or is it a tool?

I've been through a selection process (prerequisite for assignment to a covert military spec. ops. unit) that entailed extensive psychological examination [profiling batteries & IQ testing] including personal interviews, one of which was with the unit psychologist who himself had to be approved for his position by the psychologist to the President. The findings, in a nutshell, are that my IQ is in the top 2% of the population and I'm one of the most emotionally stable people you'll ever meet. That said, I rely on both logic and emotion equally. Logic is necessary to control emotion so that emotion doesn't become overwhelming and debilitating. Effective emotional control; however, consists of redirecting and channeling emotion into positive action. It is not usually advantageous to completely suppress emotion. In life or death situations, suppressed emotion may inhibit the fight or flight mechanism necessary for survival whereas redirecting and channeling emotion enables one to fight harder or flee faster. In routine situations, most people look for more than just information comprehension from others: they look for an understanding consisting of information in some sort of an emotional context. Those who cannot; or, choose not to accommodate the majority in this regard are perceived as having a defect in affect (affective behavioral disorder) that keeps them from being successful members of a group. Consequently, in the case of those who choose not to communicate within an emotional context, I consider it to be more a reflection of their ego than of their intelligence.

[Urbane Guerrilla]

Boxes has really got it about right.

Part of the differentiation of perception of emotions in oneself contrasted with others is determined by the testosterone count. At least one transsexual is on record as saying that when he still had testes, he "could blow through emotional storms like a semi through a rainstorm," affected but not necessarily going off the pavement. As he went through meds to become she, she noticed how much easier it was to cry -- tears, essentially, were more available, nearer the surface. This, she found, was the most obvious change.

There is a difference of emotional style. Some make rather too much of that difference.

[HungLikeJesus]

It's surprising how often that quote at the bottom of the page (under the Tip Mug) is relevant.

Here's one I just saw, which fits this thread:

He was the kind of man who was not ashamed to show affection. I guess that's what I hated about him.
--Deep Thoughts