Green cheese on the moon

Suppose somebody comes up to you and wants to seriously engage you in the question of whether the moon is made of green cheese. The person is very serious, earnest, wants you to understand that this is an important matter.

What should you do? Should you laugh in their face? Excuse yourself politely?

Let us further say that you have agreed to hold this debate, and you somehow let it slip that you think the entire idea of the moon being made of green cheese is absurd.

The person is now mad at you, as any believer in lunar green cheese would be. But you can probably shrug this off.

What happens when a lot of people want to engage you in this topic? What happens when it seems very important to these people, this question of the green cheesiness of the moon? There are debates, seminars, experts flown in from all over the world to participate in the anxious arguments on this topic.

If, in such a climate, you say “I don’t believe in green cheese on the moon,” then it will be seen that you have chosen sides – you are in the “no green cheese camp.” This is the way many will see you. In a sense you will be defined by this question, and your negative answer to it. You will become, in people’s eyes, the green cheese disbeliever.

In such a scenario, it doesn’t matter how many successes and compliments you recieve in life. You are the “green cheese disbeliever”, and so you shall remain.

Am I the only one who finds something wrong with this picture?

4 thoughts on “Green cheese on the moon”

  1. Ken, are you trolling your own blog? OF COURSE the moon is made of cheese!

    It’s context. Your life successes remain yours and will be honored by all those who don’t evaluate you solely in accordance with your affiliation to green cheese. That may include subcribers to the theory of green cheese or not. But I harbor the suspicion that this isn’t about green cheese… Ken, would you like to get something off your chest?

  2. I’m sorry David. It turns out that when I first configured WordPress, I had inadvertently enabled the “autotrolling” function. I’m trying to figure out how to disable it. Until then, please bear with me.

    No, I’m not sure the context matters. It might as well be about green cheese on the moon.

    On the other hand, I had not been aware until this moment that you are of the verdicasealunatic persuasion. I assure you that I will not hold this against you. Or at least, not very much…

    😉

  3. Well, h would the context not matter? Perhaps I need a more detailed example to get what you’re after.
    If someone places “green cheese beliefs” above “personal achievements” then they are reciprocally placed in the “don’t take seriously” bin. Of course its unfortunate when everyone in one’s immediate environs falls into this category – then you are yourself contextually off your rockers. Right?

  4. Yes, something is horribly wrong with this picture.

    My personal solution is to stick my head in the sand. I think any reasonable discussion of ridiculous or absurd topics is lose-lose. Such people will not be swayed by logic or anything else. Engaging them gives credence to their position. Yes, and it opens you to unreasonable attacks–do you still beat your wife?

    I think there are times when it’s best not to be the other-side of their coin.

    My solution seems cowardly, but I don’t see a better answer. It’s like not feeding the pigeons–if no one feeds them they go away… at least I hope they do. 🙂

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