To the OP, you can't be surprised the thought of sexual assault comes up. The drow were originally created by hormonal males creating a fantasy where sex is nothing but a tool for women, that any virile male could get if he was cunning enough to catch her eye. Throw in some BDSM to mix things up and a bit of incest, which is where much of the fiction has taken it, and it's no surprise that some guys would turn it around again instead of females dominating males, it's some males dominating the female dominatrix.
As for your original question, I assume if we are actually speaking of a real life occurrence, every single one of us would merely assume the person was a very dedicated cos player due to Occam's razor And if the person tried to convince they were actually drow, we would refer the nearest mental hospital to them.
It's one thing to enjoy fantasies, roleplay through them, and imagine about them occurring, but if the fantasy actually occurred, we would deny it, or freak out since once you get to a certain age your beliefs are set in stone for the most part, and drow aren't real and our rational mind would do everything it could to rationalize what we saw for the simple fact that if a drow actually exists, what else horrible things might, and we would be forced to confront our entire world view, hell, all of humanity's world view is dead wrong. It is a very rare mind that doesn't just break if forced to confront that head on, and I doubt myself or anyone here could do so.
What would you do if you actually encountered a drow IRL?
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Ra'Sona Races-The-Wind
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Rare? I don't see this as being too difficult. Drow exist, as proven by IRL occurrence of drow. What's so difficult about that? I highly doubt anyone would freak out or break down.
If someone told them that a drow turned up then sure, that's an obvious wind-up but if they DO exist then it just is, and we adapt. Beliefs set in stone isn't a given, rational people tend to be quite flexible because EVERYTHING we're told is invariably untrue to some degree. Raw mathematics aside, there is no such thing as immutable truth and most people understand that to some degree, even if it's just an 'it's all bullsh*t' mentality. What other horrible things might exist is neither here nor there, this world isn't devoid of monsters, they just tend to look more or less like us. A tide of orks rampaging over the world would be less of an issue to the close-minded than the guy who locked his daughter in a dungeon and abused her because they're obviously nonhuman and can be categorised as such.
Forgive the long reply, but I'm somewhat offended by the outright claim that I'm incalculable as handling such a simple development without losing my mind. I could handle dragons and aliens in a war over the lost city of Atlantis; after a few news updates and once the 'oh man, this is awesome!' idea has died down a bit it would just be another way we were wrong the whole time. No big deal.
Occam's razor it a tool for the weak of mind, there is ALWAYS proof if you know where to look for it. Doubt yourself if you like but don't try and lump me in with it. Okay? Okay.
If someone told them that a drow turned up then sure, that's an obvious wind-up but if they DO exist then it just is, and we adapt. Beliefs set in stone isn't a given, rational people tend to be quite flexible because EVERYTHING we're told is invariably untrue to some degree. Raw mathematics aside, there is no such thing as immutable truth and most people understand that to some degree, even if it's just an 'it's all bullsh*t' mentality. What other horrible things might exist is neither here nor there, this world isn't devoid of monsters, they just tend to look more or less like us. A tide of orks rampaging over the world would be less of an issue to the close-minded than the guy who locked his daughter in a dungeon and abused her because they're obviously nonhuman and can be categorised as such.
Forgive the long reply, but I'm somewhat offended by the outright claim that I'm incalculable as handling such a simple development without losing my mind. I could handle dragons and aliens in a war over the lost city of Atlantis; after a few news updates and once the 'oh man, this is awesome!' idea has died down a bit it would just be another way we were wrong the whole time. No big deal.
Occam's razor it a tool for the weak of mind, there is ALWAYS proof if you know where to look for it. Doubt yourself if you like but don't try and lump me in with it. Okay? Okay.
[quote="Ra'Sona Races-The-Wind":3n68ql7q]Rare? I don't see this as being too difficult. Drow exist, as proven by IRL occurrence of drow. What's so difficult about that? I highly doubt anyone would freak out or break down.[/quote:3n68ql7q]
Really? Then what about the men and women who break under the stress of seeing what humans do to each other? Now start throwing in magical creatures, that can see in the dark, speak a different language and summon magical darkness. And this isn't after it's been on the news or become a common occurrence, the situation he posed is YOU come across a drow in real life. Something that's never happened before to anyone else in all of existence, and up to that moment before was just a fantasy. If that doesn't make you either try to deny it, or at the very least question your own sanity(quite a good example of freaking out), then you are certainly in the 1 percentile of human kind, if there is that many.
[quote:3n68ql7q]Beliefs set in stone isn't a given, rational people tend to be quite flexible because EVERYTHING we're told is invariably untrue to some degree.[/quote:3n68ql7q]
People believe what they want to believe, the human condition. It's why it took so long for people to understand and believe what was occurring to Jews in WW2, why some still believe that was just a myth(besides the geo-political reasons), not to mention the numerous other atrocities and situations that are simply denied and ignored because people don't want to face the fact that such things exist.
Now, maybe it's just me, but I don't want to believe a drow could be real, maybe you do, and if so that's fine, but I figure the majority of the human population would rather not believe that there are nigh immortal beings with magical and fantastical powers, the majority of which would prefer to sacrifice you to some evil spider goddess of theirs.
[quote:3n68ql7q]Raw mathematics aside, there is no such thing as immutable truth and most people understand that to some degree, [/quote:3n68ql7q]
I'll agree here, Truth is ever the prostitute to perception.
[quote:3n68ql7q]Forgive the long reply, but I'm somewhat offended by the outright claim that I'm incalculable as handling such a simple development without losing my mind. I could handle dragons and aliens in a war over the lost city of Atlantis; after a few news updates and once the 'oh man, this is awesome!' idea has died down a bit it would just be another way we were wrong the whole time. No big deal.[/quote:3n68ql7q]
Despite the fact that dragons fighting aliens is a fairly big deal, and I figure reported mental disorders and stress related illnesses would go way up among the Western countries if such a thing occurred, you may be able to adapt to that situation if you heard it on the news first. I don't know if I would. Those are some pretty fantastical things, that would scare the shit out of me. But again, the question the OP originally asked, and what I was addressing was not if he met a drow after we already knew of their existence, but what if we just found a drow in real life. I answered that question, and gave my opinion on what most people I think would do. And I still believe it to be valid, but that's all it is, an opinion. I don't think you would react nearly so well as you claim, because it's easy to think of such things as awesome until you actually saw one of these creatures breathing down your face, calmly deciding whether it wanted to sacrifice you now or later.
[quote:3n68ql7q]Occam's razor it a tool for the weak of mind, there is ALWAYS proof if you know where to look for it.[/quote:3n68ql7q]
Wow. Just wow, besides the completely irrational dismissal of Occam's razor which does work for the majority of situations. Next... What do you think the majority of humankind is? As a race, we have a herd mentality, and most individuals are "weak minded" by your book.
[quote:3n68ql7q] Doubt yourself if you like but don't try and lump me in with it. Okay? Okay.[/quote:3n68ql7q]
Doubt myself? Where do I doubt myself? Realistically assessing how I would react to such a situation is doubting myself?
And your right, I did lump you in with me, and for that I apologize. But to be honest, I think I am giving a more accurate assessment of how myself and the majority of human population might react to such a situation then you.
But then, I've always been arrogant, and occasionally wrong.
Really? Then what about the men and women who break under the stress of seeing what humans do to each other? Now start throwing in magical creatures, that can see in the dark, speak a different language and summon magical darkness. And this isn't after it's been on the news or become a common occurrence, the situation he posed is YOU come across a drow in real life. Something that's never happened before to anyone else in all of existence, and up to that moment before was just a fantasy. If that doesn't make you either try to deny it, or at the very least question your own sanity(quite a good example of freaking out), then you are certainly in the 1 percentile of human kind, if there is that many.
[quote:3n68ql7q]Beliefs set in stone isn't a given, rational people tend to be quite flexible because EVERYTHING we're told is invariably untrue to some degree.[/quote:3n68ql7q]
People believe what they want to believe, the human condition. It's why it took so long for people to understand and believe what was occurring to Jews in WW2, why some still believe that was just a myth(besides the geo-political reasons), not to mention the numerous other atrocities and situations that are simply denied and ignored because people don't want to face the fact that such things exist.
Now, maybe it's just me, but I don't want to believe a drow could be real, maybe you do, and if so that's fine, but I figure the majority of the human population would rather not believe that there are nigh immortal beings with magical and fantastical powers, the majority of which would prefer to sacrifice you to some evil spider goddess of theirs.
[quote:3n68ql7q]Raw mathematics aside, there is no such thing as immutable truth and most people understand that to some degree, [/quote:3n68ql7q]
I'll agree here, Truth is ever the prostitute to perception.
[quote:3n68ql7q]Forgive the long reply, but I'm somewhat offended by the outright claim that I'm incalculable as handling such a simple development without losing my mind. I could handle dragons and aliens in a war over the lost city of Atlantis; after a few news updates and once the 'oh man, this is awesome!' idea has died down a bit it would just be another way we were wrong the whole time. No big deal.[/quote:3n68ql7q]
Despite the fact that dragons fighting aliens is a fairly big deal, and I figure reported mental disorders and stress related illnesses would go way up among the Western countries if such a thing occurred, you may be able to adapt to that situation if you heard it on the news first. I don't know if I would. Those are some pretty fantastical things, that would scare the shit out of me. But again, the question the OP originally asked, and what I was addressing was not if he met a drow after we already knew of their existence, but what if we just found a drow in real life. I answered that question, and gave my opinion on what most people I think would do. And I still believe it to be valid, but that's all it is, an opinion. I don't think you would react nearly so well as you claim, because it's easy to think of such things as awesome until you actually saw one of these creatures breathing down your face, calmly deciding whether it wanted to sacrifice you now or later.
[quote:3n68ql7q]Occam's razor it a tool for the weak of mind, there is ALWAYS proof if you know where to look for it.[/quote:3n68ql7q]
Wow. Just wow, besides the completely irrational dismissal of Occam's razor which does work for the majority of situations. Next... What do you think the majority of humankind is? As a race, we have a herd mentality, and most individuals are "weak minded" by your book.
[quote:3n68ql7q] Doubt yourself if you like but don't try and lump me in with it. Okay? Okay.[/quote:3n68ql7q]
Doubt myself? Where do I doubt myself? Realistically assessing how I would react to such a situation is doubting myself?
And your right, I did lump you in with me, and for that I apologize. But to be honest, I think I am giving a more accurate assessment of how myself and the majority of human population might react to such a situation then you.
But then, I've always been arrogant, and occasionally wrong.
"What does God want? Does God want goodness or the choice of goodness? Is a man who chooses evil perhaps in some way better than a man who has good imposed upon him?"
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Bhaern Quel
- Demigod
- Posts: 2106
- Joined: Tue Feb 14, 2006 10:32 pm
Oh this is a fun topic, based on replies.
1) While the poll itself does not indicate gender, Talwyn in first answer to his poll question did post "I hope I encountered a drow female" which clearly helped set replies geared to a female.
2) I was not aware that on meeting a stranger that many would think about having sex, I tend to expect stranger-danger reaction as more likely (fight or flight).
3) Occam's razor just does not apply to this discussion in any meaningful way. It is used to explain how an event likely occurred. There is no question about how a poster might be able to meet a Drow IRL, that is a given that it occurs.
http://www.phys.ncku.edu.tw/mirrors/phy ... occam.html
[quote:2uk7a1l3]The principle states that "Entities should not be multiplied unnecessarily."
...
The most useful statement of the principle for scientists is
"when you have two competing theories that make exactly the same predictions, the simpler one is the better."[/quote:2uk7a1l3]
I have seen it applied as well to be "the simplest explanation is likely the correct one" when applied to an event/fact.
1) While the poll itself does not indicate gender, Talwyn in first answer to his poll question did post "I hope I encountered a drow female" which clearly helped set replies geared to a female.
2) I was not aware that on meeting a stranger that many would think about having sex, I tend to expect stranger-danger reaction as more likely (fight or flight).
3) Occam's razor just does not apply to this discussion in any meaningful way. It is used to explain how an event likely occurred. There is no question about how a poster might be able to meet a Drow IRL, that is a given that it occurs.
http://www.phys.ncku.edu.tw/mirrors/phy ... occam.html
[quote:2uk7a1l3]The principle states that "Entities should not be multiplied unnecessarily."
...
The most useful statement of the principle for scientists is
"when you have two competing theories that make exactly the same predictions, the simpler one is the better."[/quote:2uk7a1l3]
I have seen it applied as well to be "the simplest explanation is likely the correct one" when applied to an event/fact.
[quote:x7145icn]3) Occam's razor just does not apply to this discussion in any meaningful way. It is used to explain how an event likely occurred. There is no question about how a poster might be able to meet a Drow IRL, that is a given that it occurs.
[/quote:x7145icn]
The Occam's Razor reference was not in attempting to explain how a drow might arrive IRL, but that a person who sees the drow would assume the simplest explanation, it's a human dressed up.
[/quote:x7145icn]
The Occam's Razor reference was not in attempting to explain how a drow might arrive IRL, but that a person who sees the drow would assume the simplest explanation, it's a human dressed up.
"What does God want? Does God want goodness or the choice of goodness? Is a man who chooses evil perhaps in some way better than a man who has good imposed upon him?"
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Ra'Sona Races-The-Wind
- Resident
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- Joined: Fri Jan 15, 2010 2:57 pm
Not gonna stack quotes here, but I'm sure you can keep up.
You say about people cracking up over what humans do to each other; I already mentioned that, the fact that they're human makes it harder to accept because there's nothing tangible dividing them from us. Another species committing atrocities, especially one with darkness powers, is easily rationalised as "monsters being monstrous." People are also more willing to accept big shocks than little ones, once the change loses perspective. Take the murders in a city as opposed to wars of genocide. We hear about three men killed in a drive-by and we feel sorry for the families, we hear about forty-thousand murdered in a civil war and it just doesn't compute.
I seem to remember reading that a lot of the thing about the final solution and people 'not knowing' was because people wondering about things above their station, especially as the war turned against the axis, were dealt with quite mercilessly so the analogy is somewhat flawed by the enforcing of public ignorance. Of course having said that I do agree that people believe what they want to believe. Everyone will naturally support their own agenda where possible and that's not entirely wrong. However, this idea of magical creatures appearing is of less bother to me because I honestly don't think it would have a very large effect on the world in the day-to-day sense. I'll explain this position if you like.
Again, you're assuming the idea of a horrible outside threat would have a negative effect. In actual fact, it's likely to do more to bring humanity together as a whole than any amount of politicking. Nothing reminds people how much they have in common as much as an outsider looking to put them in the ground. If this is a situation of outright conflict as you seem to imply, I would predict an outburst of inter-human camaraderie on a never-before-seen scale. I can give several examples of this, the Falklands being one very good one: The Argentine government was losing power and so they went to war. Suddenly it was 'us or them' and people stopped making such a fuss because there was a bigger threat than the people who were supposed to be looking after them. If a Drow was right up in my face then to be honest, how I feel would matter very little. It would simply be a matter of waiting for him or her to make up their mind. I'm honestly doubtful it would come to that, however, though it would suck rather a lot if it did. So would being hit by a car, but I don't freak out crossing a busy road, i just get on with it and stay vigilant.
Occam's razor works for [i:jg41257p]any[/i:jg41257p] situation, it is however a non-answer. A cop-out. "I'm just going to assume this to be the case rather than that based on the law of averages" is what it comes down to, and I consider it a wishy-washy excuse for not doing the required research. Unless we're talking heavily theorised physics where said research would take decades, please leave your razors in their cases. Humans are indeed dumber in groups. It was in fact tested, when one human was sat in a room and the fire alarm went off he got out of there, a group of them were tested together and they sat about looking at each other for a while until one of them finally took the first move, so my response is that yes, the majority of the human race are morons unless you can get them alone for a level discussion. It's not always easy, but I consider it rather important to come to my own conclusions.
Your exact words were "I doubt myself or anyone here could do so." The sense in which you use the word is slightly different, but you are still doubting your own ability to react with a level of serenity about the event. Whether your opinion is justified or not is irrelevant, it is still doubt of your own, and others', ability to process unexpected occurrences. Bringing in the 'majority' of humanity is [i:jg41257p]never[/i:jg41257p] a viable position; there are too many variables to account for. The only person you can predict with any degree of reliability is yourself.
Edit: Thank you, however, for omitting me at my request.
You say about people cracking up over what humans do to each other; I already mentioned that, the fact that they're human makes it harder to accept because there's nothing tangible dividing them from us. Another species committing atrocities, especially one with darkness powers, is easily rationalised as "monsters being monstrous." People are also more willing to accept big shocks than little ones, once the change loses perspective. Take the murders in a city as opposed to wars of genocide. We hear about three men killed in a drive-by and we feel sorry for the families, we hear about forty-thousand murdered in a civil war and it just doesn't compute.
I seem to remember reading that a lot of the thing about the final solution and people 'not knowing' was because people wondering about things above their station, especially as the war turned against the axis, were dealt with quite mercilessly so the analogy is somewhat flawed by the enforcing of public ignorance. Of course having said that I do agree that people believe what they want to believe. Everyone will naturally support their own agenda where possible and that's not entirely wrong. However, this idea of magical creatures appearing is of less bother to me because I honestly don't think it would have a very large effect on the world in the day-to-day sense. I'll explain this position if you like.
Again, you're assuming the idea of a horrible outside threat would have a negative effect. In actual fact, it's likely to do more to bring humanity together as a whole than any amount of politicking. Nothing reminds people how much they have in common as much as an outsider looking to put them in the ground. If this is a situation of outright conflict as you seem to imply, I would predict an outburst of inter-human camaraderie on a never-before-seen scale. I can give several examples of this, the Falklands being one very good one: The Argentine government was losing power and so they went to war. Suddenly it was 'us or them' and people stopped making such a fuss because there was a bigger threat than the people who were supposed to be looking after them. If a Drow was right up in my face then to be honest, how I feel would matter very little. It would simply be a matter of waiting for him or her to make up their mind. I'm honestly doubtful it would come to that, however, though it would suck rather a lot if it did. So would being hit by a car, but I don't freak out crossing a busy road, i just get on with it and stay vigilant.
Occam's razor works for [i:jg41257p]any[/i:jg41257p] situation, it is however a non-answer. A cop-out. "I'm just going to assume this to be the case rather than that based on the law of averages" is what it comes down to, and I consider it a wishy-washy excuse for not doing the required research. Unless we're talking heavily theorised physics where said research would take decades, please leave your razors in their cases. Humans are indeed dumber in groups. It was in fact tested, when one human was sat in a room and the fire alarm went off he got out of there, a group of them were tested together and they sat about looking at each other for a while until one of them finally took the first move, so my response is that yes, the majority of the human race are morons unless you can get them alone for a level discussion. It's not always easy, but I consider it rather important to come to my own conclusions.
Your exact words were "I doubt myself or anyone here could do so." The sense in which you use the word is slightly different, but you are still doubting your own ability to react with a level of serenity about the event. Whether your opinion is justified or not is irrelevant, it is still doubt of your own, and others', ability to process unexpected occurrences. Bringing in the 'majority' of humanity is [i:jg41257p]never[/i:jg41257p] a viable position; there are too many variables to account for. The only person you can predict with any degree of reliability is yourself.
Edit: Thank you, however, for omitting me at my request.