roark's attitude

[Elliot Temple]

FH by AR:

> “What can you tell us about Mr. Roark’s attitude toward clients?”
> “Well, that’s the point. That’s the whole point. He didn’t care what the clients thought or wished, what anyone in the world thought or wished. He didn’t even understand how other architects could care. He wouldn’t even give you that, not even understanding, not even enough to ... respect you a little just the same. I don’t see what’s so wrong with trying to please people. I don’t see what’s wrong with wanting to be friendly and liked and popular. Why is that a crime? Why should anyone sneer at you for that, sneer all the time, all the time, day and night, not giving you a moment’s peace, like the Chinese water torture, you know where they drop water on your skull drop by drop?”

I still don't understand how people dislike criticism. I don't respect it but I don't even understand it.

I would like to understand, though. I've asked many people. No one can tell me. They do it (dislike criticism), but I don't think they understand it either. It's not rational.

I don't exactly "sneer" at people who dislike criticism, but I can see how they might view it that way. I can see the point Keating is getting at. I do think it's a bad way to live, and I won't pretend otherwise, not even for a moment.

-- Elliot Temple
http://beginningofinfinity.com/

[Rami Rustom]

On Feb 24, 2013 6:25 PM, "Elliot Temple" <cu...@curi.us> wrote:
>
> FH by AR:
>
> > “What can you tell us about Mr. Roark’s attitude toward clients?”
> > “Well, that’s the point. That’s the whole point. He didn’t care what the clients thought or wished, what anyone in the world thought or wished. He didn’t even understand how other architects could care. He wouldn’t even give you that, not even understanding, not even enough to ... respect you a little just the same. I don’t see what’s so wrong with trying to please people. I don’t see what’s wrong with wanting to be friendly and liked and popular. Why is that a crime? Why should anyone sneer at you for that, sneer all the time, all the time, day and night, not giving you a moment’s peace, like the Chinese water torture, you know where they drop water on your skull drop by drop?”
>
> I still don't understand how people dislike criticism. I don't respect it but I don't even understand it.

Being criticized is equivalent to being judged.

Being judged, in most families, usually is followed with punishment.

Punishment is about trying to instill shame.

So after decades of being criticized and then punished, many people
learned the anti-rational meme that causes one to experience the
negative feeling of shame. And in most of these situations the person
decides to relieve the feeling of shame by rejecting the criticism and
preventing future criticism. How? By adopting the doctrine that each
person has his own reality. That each person has his own truth. That
no one is wrong. (Moral relativism.)

> I would like to understand, though. I've asked many people. No one can tell me. They do it (dislike criticism), but I don't think they understand it either. It's not rational.

I asked and I was told. They said, in effect, that I disagreed *too
much*. I asked if my interpretation was correct, and if so how much is
too much (so that I could fly under the radar) and they didn't answer.

> I don't exactly "sneer" at people who dislike criticism, but I can see how they might view it that way. I can see the point Keating is getting at. I do think it's a bad way to live, and I won't pretend otherwise, not even for a moment.

-- Rami