Re: virus: FAQ: question (j) - UTism

Tim Rhodes (proftim@speakeasy.org)
Wed, 16 Jun 1999 02:48:02 -0700

Bill wrote:

>Here we go - Ill do the def for UTism (since Prof. Tim and I invented
>it). And think on - or add - others soon. Tim, check out the UTism def
>and fix if necessary. Thanks

>> (j) What is UTism?
>
>Short for the "Us vs. Them" mentality common in our species. When used,
>usually implies that someone is caught in the "Us vs Them" perspective
>and unaware of it. "Us vs Them" is perhaps the original seperator
>between peoples. Humans, like most other animals, recognize familiar
>features in animals of their species, and usually consider "US" to be
>those in our social group or that have similar features. People not in
>our group, or with unfamiliar features, are "THEM" - those people we
>blame everything on. We all realize upon reflection that UTism leads to
>oversimplifications and generalizations and does NOT represent reality.

The only change I might make is near the end:

"People not in our group, or with unfamiliar features, are "THEM"--and we are naturally more inclined to find fault and to place blame on "THEM" than we do on "US". However, we all realize upon reflection that UTism leads inevitably to oversimplifications and generalization and does NOT accurately represent reality. As such, habitual UTism should be avoided when at all possible."

-Prof. Tim