Authority

[susandennis]

I was just reading along - all my journals and blogs and an entry by canyoncat gave me whiplash. He says: "I grew up learning to "QUESTION AUTHORITY" and nothing I have seen in my life leads me to believe I should ever change that point of view."

I kept on reading but this idea just wouldn't move on. There is something here...

I am only 8 years older than canyoncat but I got the opposite end of that raising stick.

I was raised to NEVER QUESTION AUTHORITY. It started with "Because I said so" and was nurtured on the couch with the rest of my family tuned into Father Knows Best. It was fueled by fear of the principals office and the dire (albeit unspecified) consequences of not paying attention to the crossing guard.

I went to a snotty private girls finishing school that was baked in unquestioned authority.

But, then I went to college and it was still the 60's and all that indoctrination was wiped out in a few short weeks and replace by Never Trust Anyone Over 30, cops were pigs, the military was where they dragged your boyfriend off to kill him, the president of the U.S. was a crook no matter what he said and the best way to defend yourself against all this was to hurry up and be self sufficient.

So I did. And, now, I think I question most everything. Authority, color choices, motive... it's my nature to zip right by face value and go for the gooey innards.

I need to conjure on this some more.