r/MadeMeSmile • u/RoyalChris • 23d ago

Good News An old man who was going to speak against gender-affirming care in the Wisconsin state legislature, changes stance after listening to testimony for 7 hours.

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u/belt-e-belt 23d ago edited 23d ago

And you'd find countless young people, with a lifetime of learning ahead of them, who willingly act ignorant and refuse to educate themselves. The ability to accept that we don't know everything is something all of us must have.

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u/FilthyHobbitzes 23d ago

Self awareness is something this gentleman has. Some people become more aware as they age and some choose less awareness.

It’s uncomfortable to have an understanding that everything isn’t exactly how you believe it to be.

Most folks don’t like being uncomfortable.

Good on this gentleman. He reminds me of my dad.

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u/DeadHuron 23d ago

I long ago realized I didn’t know everything (like we all do at 16) and never would. But even as a clear minded adult, there are times I need to step back and reflect a bit. I say I’m open minded but did I listen to everything someone had to say or did I already have an answer in my head before they finished? I hope if I reach this gentleman’s age, I’m a thoughtful person who is flexible in judgment and is willing to reevaluate my judgment when new, valuable information is presented. I think I need to keep working on the now.

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u/FilthyHobbitzes 23d ago

Always have to keep working on it I think…

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u/Master_Muskrat 23d ago

The downside of this approach is when you meet someone who is an absolute moron, but so adamant in their false beliefs that their make you question your own knowledge. Like, yeah, I wrote my thesis on this topic, but this random person called me an idiot with such certainty that there must be something that they know that I don't...

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u/Maxamillion-X72 23d ago

When you consider that this man took time out of his day to come speak in favor of this bill, you know he had a serious commitment to his ideology. This is not someone who "never really thought about it much" being swayed. This is a die-hard.

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u/belt-e-belt 23d ago

It’s uncomfortable to have an understanding that everything isn’t exactly how you believe it to be.

Ideally, one would find that immensely comforting, no one knows everything about everything... and that's okay.

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u/FilthyHobbitzes 23d ago

Ego battles are notoriously uncomfortable.

That’s all I was saying. Not intending to blanket statement.

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u/Phatz907 23d ago

A man who knows everything can’t possibly learn anything.

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u/MrMMudd 23d ago

If I'm not learning, I am not growing.

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u/Bonerific_Haze 23d ago

"I have a lot to teach, but even more to learn"

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u/RogerianBrowsing 23d ago

Gen-Z are turning out to be the new boomers. Millennials had such high hopes for them too…

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u/MaintenanceWine 23d ago

It’s almost as if there are bad and good people in every generation, and generalizing each by their birth decade is stupid.

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u/t_krett 23d ago

With those words you make it sound like brainwashing