Argh. Just Argh,

[kengr]

I've always loathed that bit in The Empire Strikes Back where Yoda says "No! Try not. Do. Or do not. There is no try."

It's a sentiment I encountered far too often from my mother when I was growing up.

And it is *damaging* because it fails to recognize that effort can be put forth and the desired results not reached.

So while many see it as a "you have to believe you can do it" thing, I (and others) see it as calling efforts that don't succeed the fault of the person making the attempt. And make them a personal flaw rather than a need for more training or whatever.

same sort thing is pushed by far too many Phys Ed teachers. Though they tended to go for "you aren't trying hard enough". Telling this to a kid who's having a minor asthma attack while trying to complete the laps you assigned is *not* going to help.

Now I find that there was even more wrong with that scene than I'd realized.

Use the Try Harder, Luke

If that transcript is true, even if Lucas was right about human nature, he was *so* wrong by bowing to it. When you are creating myths, you are supposed to make the heroes *better*. Make them folks who inspire people to try harder or to persevere when all seems lost.

I agree with Hamill. Luke was being a whiner and the way he was played in that scene was a disservice to the character.

Comments

[fayanora.livejournal.com]

Amen to everything you've said here. I've been encountering that bias in my own life, me putting forth all the effort I can to gain some actual control over myself* and having other people mistake it for laziness or apathy.


* Control to act. I already have control against action mastered. I am a master at stopping myself from doing or saying something I shouldn't. Too much of a master, in fact. Sometimes I have a hard time saying things I want to because the Filter won't let me.

[kengr]

I already have control against action mastered. I am a master at stopping myself from doing or saying something I shouldn't. Too much of a master, in fact. Sometimes I have a hard time saying things I want to because the Filter won't let me.

I got that way as a survival measure. I think the defining moment was when mom was yelling at me about something and I accidentally said what I was thinking. And got slapped for it. Hard.

I've developed the ability to force stuff out past the filters but it isn't easy, and it requires forcing my emotions (the "if you let it out they'll hurt you badly" feelings) down inside which I know means I;ll pay for it later when they resurface, stronger.

But if I only push them down enough to force out the words (rather than to try to look like nothing is wrong) it's not too bad.

[fayanora.livejournal.com]

*Sigh* We should start a club or LJ community for people like us: the socially inept whose filters make it hard to speak.

[janetmiles.livejournal.com]

I don't know if it will help you, but I've found that I can get past my filter by writing or by speaking a language other than English. Apparently the circuit that's involved in translation bypasses the Censor.

[kengr]

Ah. I learned the writing bit long ago. I was first able to talk about some stuff on a BBS back in the early 80s.

As I noted then, I could still type while crying so hard I could barely see.

And I got found the old Human Sexuality Forum on Compuserve (where an online friend dragged me into the abuse survivors subgroup, which also helped)

[fayanora.livejournal.com]

That might help me if I knew any other languages but English.