The Platinum Rule

[pastwatcher]

I am really enthusiastic about this article. Not only is it clever and light-hearted, it really speaks to the damage done by the Golden Rule: when we act based on pre-conceived notions of how others should feel, rather than how they actually do.

It could potentially reduce the need for frustrating conversations such as:

--I didn't mean to make you feel X, why do you feel X? (in the article itself)
--Intent isn't magic, or: consider the intent but acknowledge the impact
--If I don't treat everyone exactly the same, isn't that bad?
--If I see people as different, doesn't that mean I won't respect them all the same?

Comments

[gleameil.livejournal.com]

I've thought this before. The Golden Rule has to be taken to a pretty high level of abstraction to make sense at all.

[pastwatcher]

Yeah, me too. I really like the way the article explains the problems the rule may cause. :)

[heartandhead.livejournal.com]

Pretty much everybody I know interprets the Golden Rule the same way as the commenter from 10 months ago.

[tiamat360.livejournal.com]

+1

Articulates well the problems I had with that article.

[http://users.livejournal.com/little_e_/]

Oh, so that's what I've been doing wrong!

[http://users.livejournal.com/little_e_/]

I wish LJ weren't being lame and I could see the other comments. :(