Too Much Credit Given To The Tool

We live in a reality of action and reaction; cause and effect. This leads us to misunderstand the role of tools and actions. Far too often people credit (or blame) the tool for the action rather than the actor.
Below is a retort to common situations where the tool is blamed for the effect of the action...

Nobody was killed by guns.
No houses were built by hammers.
Nobody was saved by surgery tools.
Nobody who hanged themselves was killed by a rope.

We hear these logical fallacies often: It is the President's fault, it's your fault, it's their fault, it's because of guns, it's in God's hands, it's because of  this or that.

All the while the only thing accomplished is a passing off of personal responsibility. By "personal responsibility" I don't only mean the self (although self-accountability is a form of personal responsibility), but also the blame we assign to something arbitrary to the committer of actions. For example, a great many people blame all Muslims for the acts of Islamic extremists, they blame guns for the acts of murderers, they blame the alcohol for their buffoonery, they blame the President (scapegoat/figurehead) for the effects of a broken system.

Often the person is overlooked and we search for some factor that played a part in their actions, and there are external factors, but those external factors may have different effects on different persons. We can see this in experiments where results are not conclusive.

• Some tests show that heavy metal music kills plants. Some tests show that heavy metal music helps plants grow. Heavy metal cannot be blamed entirely for bad actions.
• Some Muslims study the Koran and (along with political influences) become violently radicalized. Some Muslims study the Koran and become vessels of peace. Islam cannot be blamed entirely for bad actions.
• Some people take LSD and go insane. Some people take LSD and become enlightened. LSD cannot be blamed entirely for bad results.
• Some people use guns to commit murder. Some people use guns for self-defense, sport, or hunting. The gun cannot be blamed for it's actions or use.
• Some people eat chocolate and experience bliss. Some are allergic and almost die. Chocolate cannot be blamed entirely for death.
• Some people use a hammer to build a house. Some people use a hammer to beat someone over the head. The hammer cannot be blamed entirely for the malicious intent.
• Some people are rich and become greedy. Some people are rich and practice philanthropy and charity. The money cannot be blamed entirely for the greed of the individual.

Truthfully, we can change the battery of a car a hundred times, but that will never fix the broken transmission.

Our Dumb Words

Why does our species say such incredibly dumb things?

A bit of sarcastic satire may help clarify.
Here are a few examples...

●"There's poo in beards." 

Well, there is, and it's on your toothbrush too. But fear not, we will all survive this bacterial epidemic!
●"If man evolved from monkeys then why are there still monkeys?" 

This is the dumbest utterance spoken by humans. God invented velcro shoes for people who are too dumb to tie a knot.
●"Obama's gonna invade Texas." 

First he must find it on a map. Don't tell him it's near Mexico.
●"If we let gays get married, the next thing you know people are gonna want to marry their dogs." 

Some dogs look good in a tux.
●"If you don't wanna get beat up by the cops then don't break the law." 

No shit? It's that easy?
●"God hates fags." 

It's amazing how much a non-human divine entity suffers from petty human maladies such as hate and jealousy.
●"Don't judge me." 

Oh you mean you? The one who wants laws to tell others what they can and can't do with their bodies? Ok!
●"Happy Mother's Day to all the mothers out there." 

Please for Christ's sake if you love your mother think of something more original and heartfelt to say.

●"It's Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve." 

This little nugget of white trash wisdom is the 'ah ha!' light bulb moment of transcendental awakening for the gene-damaged. It even rhymes!
●"If you don't vote then you don't have the right to complain." 

Well actually it's the opposite: If you DO vote then you don't have the right to complain. You're the one who gave these nutbag politicians your permission and endorsement.
●"My condolences. Your Uncle Jimmy is in a better place now. He's with your Aunt Ethel in eternal heaven."
Aunt Ethel? You mean Uncle Jimmy is stuck in eternity with Aunt Ethel? The woman who survived 20 years too long because of an oxygen tube and forced us as kids to eat jello fruit salad she accidentally dropped cigarette butts into??? She's the reason Uncle Jimmy drank too much! Nobody wants to be stuck with creepy old Aunt Ethel!
●"Don't judge me." 

Oh, you mean you? The wife beater felon with a bag of crack cocaine and a 'fuck you' tattoo on your forehead? OK!
●"If you eat pop rocks and soda at the same time you will explode. That's how Mikey from the Life cereal commercials died."

 This written-in-stone fact of American cultural lore is absolutely true.

This list is not comprehensive or exhaustive.

As Albert Einstein once said, "Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former."

Sombunall

The word "sombunall", which means "some but not all", could be a highly useful word. It was coined by ontological language master Robert Anton Wilson. It functions as a condition attached to the word following it. This changes the sentence from a jarring absolute into a soft semantic glide.

"Women are crazy."
"Sombunall women are crazy."

Which of these two sentences is wrong? Which offers enough leeway to be sensible and variable to context and other yet-to-be-determined conditions?

In actuality "sombunall" is an excessive use of syllables. "Sombunall" simply means "some", since "some" already implies "not all".
However, the word "some" is often easily overlooked, so for the spirit of effect I like to use "sombunall". It brings attention to the condition you are attaching to the subject.

Joe A: "Some dingos have displayed acts of aggression in some cases."
Joe B: "Hey this asshole just said all dingos are aggressive! Can you believe the nerve of this guy???"

Or alternatively...

Joe A: "Sombunall dingos have displayed acts of aggression in some cases."
Joe B: "Sombunall dingos? What the hell is a sombunall dingo???"

There are very few absolutes in this world.
2+2=4, but not all 2s equal 4. They only equal four when given the condition of +2.
You could say "Sombunall 2s equal 4." Then someone would need to figure out which 2s equal 4. Only the 2s that have the condition of +2 added to them equal 4, but not all 2s equal 4.

In societal culture we have situations that almost always have complex variable or unknown conditions. This makes "sombunall" very useful in statements about our complex relations. The more complicated the cultural situations, the more possible variables exist.

Here is an exercise.
Change these absolute statements into statements that allow for variables using "sombunall":

"Cops are dicks."
"White men can't jump."
"Snakes are poisonous."
"Frogs are green."
"Muslims are the enemy."
"Chickens lay eggs."
"Pot smokers are dumb."
"Humans are the smartest animals on Earth."
"Steppenwolf songs are awesome."
"Flags wave in the breeze."
"Republicans/Democrats/other/etc are wrong."

"Apes have gone askew."

Enjoy using SOMBUNALL. It can change the dynamics of your expressions and prevent you from getting backed into the semantic corners of absolutes.

Here are links to more resources about sombunall...

http://deoxy.org/wiki/Sombunall

https://stancarey.wordpress.com/2013/10/03/sombunall-coinages-become-cult-words/

http://vixenstrangelymakesuncommonsense.blogspot.com/2010/06/ask-your-doctor-if-time-is-right-for.html

ALSO! PLEASE JOIN OUR FACEBOOK GROUP "APES GONE ASKEW!"

This Is Not A Leaf

Transcend identity for experience.

<iframe width="420" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/lIPL7RgdQXM" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>