Posted by Bartholomew on October 30, 2001 at 05:40:47:
In Reply to: the enneagram is bullshit because... posted by Type 0 on October 29, 2001 at 19:03:41:
: I don't like it.
: My reasoning may be simple, but don't discount it. I say mint chocolate chip icecream is nasty. Of course a lot of people like it, but that won't make me say it's good. And no matter what the other side says, the pro-choice and anti-abortion asswipes aren't gonna change their minds. I just happen to be in the minority over here. But I must ask the question again... if the enneagram is such a great system, why the Hell aren't more people interested and why isn't it used more by mental health professionals?
We make mint chocolate chip ice cream so that it can be enjoyed. If you do not enjoy it, the ice cream is bad for you, and you should not eat it.
We make health food so that we can become and stay healthy. If you do not enjoy it, it's still good for you. It makes people happy in the long run rather than in the short run.
The Enneagram is more like health food than like mint chocolate chip ice cream. If you don't like the way it works, you should not discount it, because it is not meant for immediate enjoyment. The purpose of the Enneagram is to reap long-term benefits in understanding one's self and others.
To effectively criticize the Enneagram, therefore, you must argue that those long-term benefits do not exist. The Enneagram doesn't NEED to make you happy immediately.
: "If a person can be made to see a flaw in their point, that person will stop pursuing the flawed idea and move on to something else"
: that's bullshit cuz the flaw aint a flaw to that person. It's a flaw to the other person. Didn't we just have a stupid debate about animals and shit? Obviously some of you care a lot about those furry pieces of shit more than others. So who's veiwpoint is flawed?
The flaw needs to be demonstrated to the other person's satisfaction. An effective devil's advocate needs to not only see inconsistencies, but make the other participants in the discussion see them. Being a devil's advocate is not easy.
: Confucious say, "man who walks through airport turnstyle sideways is going to Bangkok."
I think it's more stereotypical to say, "Confucious say, "man who WALK through (etc.)" When mocking Chinese people who don't speak English very well, don't change the verb from its infinitive form to agree with the subject.