Is It Wrong To Bigoted Against Bigots?

Is it just as wrong to be bigoted against somebody because they hold oppressive beliefs as it is to be bigoted against someone for their race or gender? I thought of this during our discussion in class on Thursday. I personally don't think I would knowingly befriend someone who was violently misogynistic. Not only would I probably not have much in common with this person, but it would be dangerous for me to befriend this person. Similarly, I'm guessing most black people wouldn't want to be friends with a KKK member. Again, this is dangerous for them. Maybe we can be friends with people who hold prejudices against other groups (such as white nonracist people befriending KKK members, or men befriending misogynists), but I still don't like the idea of that. To me, being oppressive is not a flaw that I can look past. It's pretty much a dealbreaker and I don't think I'm a bigot because of that.

Did Lincoln Have Bipolar?

Reading Donald's biography on Lincoln made me think that Lincoln may have suffered from bipolar disorder. The descriptions of his cycling from depression to extreme productivity seemed like almost a textbook example of bipolar disorder. From what I know about the disorder, people in the mania stage are often extremely productive, charismatic, and take on new tasks. These qualities are valued in society, so people in mania often go undetected of any issues. The extreme swinging from depression to what seems like mania described in the biography really stuck out to me. I guess there isn't really any evidence to suggest that Lincoln suffered from anything so bad that it kept him from functioning, but I think he may have had mild bipolar.

Sarah Josepha Hale

As I was doing some research on Lincoln and Thanksgiving, I came across some interesting information about Sarah Josepha Hale, a women who wrote Lincoln letters urging him to make Thanksgiving a national holiday. Apparently she also authored "Mary Had a Little Lamb."

In addition to campaigning for Thanksgiving as a national holiday and writing famous nursery rhymes, she held some interesting political views. She was opposed to women's suffrage because she believed women could influence male voters in their own ways. From what I read, it seems like she believed women's place was in the home, but that they could be powerful and important there. She was, however, a big proponent of higher education for women. I just did some quick internet research on this figure but I found her really interesting. Does anyone know anything about Sarah Josepha Hale?

Sophrosyne as a Virtue

I don't know if I consider sophrosyne to be a virtue. "Healthy-mindedness" sounds nice, but why should health be considered a virtue? Most of the time, health is due to luck and privilege. This obviously goes for physical health but I think it can go for "healthy mindedness" too. What do you think?

Nobody is Self-Made

Of course nobody is truly self-made. We have all had help and that is clear. But why do we choose to remember all that Lincoln didn't have? Everybody knows about the log cabin and the rail-splitting. But why don't as many people know about his step-mother? I am fascinated by that relationship but you never hear about it the way you hear about the bad parts of Lincoln's life. I understand that it is more interesting to hear a rags to riches type of story, but I wonder why as many people aren't interested in Lincoln's relationship with his step-mother. Not many people have had a parent who was as encouraging and inspiring as it sounds like she was. I think this played a big role in Lincoln's self-education and success. I wonder how successful Lincoln would have been if his step-mother never came into his life.

What If Lincoln Was Depressed?

Some people think Lincoln may have suffered from depression. If he truly was depressed, how would he have acheived all that he did? I don't think a "self-made man" really can be depressed. Since depression typically affects people's motivation, it seems really unlikely to me that Lincoln was actually depressed. I guess that's another way Lincoln got lucky- he had motivation to work hard and educate himself.

Sophrosyne and Meat-Eating

Today, when I was in the cafeteria, I was thinking about veganism/vegetarianism. They have a lot of fake meat in the cafeteria (imitation chicken, etc). If eating meat is inherently wrong, is it sophrosynic to eat this imitation meat? My initial thought was no because, if you are naturally inclined to do the right thing, then you wont need to trick yourself with fake meat. What do you all think?