There Is Some Sort of Difference

<sup>If you drop a frog in a pot of boiling water, it will of course frantically try to clamber out. But if you place it gently in a pot of tepid water and turn the heat on low, it will float there quite placidly. As the water gradually heats up, the frog will sink into a tranquil stupor, exactly like one of us in a hot bath, and before long, with a smile on its face, it will unresistingly allow itself to be boiled to death.

— A version of the “boiling frog metaphor” from Daniel Quinn's “The Story of B”

The “boiling frog” story is generally offered as a metaphor cautioning people to be aware of some forms of negative gradual change lest they suffer eventual undesirable consequences. It may be invoked in support of a slippery slope argument as a caution against creeping normality for a whole host of different things.  

For me, the "boiling frog metaphor" helps me to put into context some of the sadness and frustration I have been working through.  There are a couple of folks in my life that I am thinking about most specifically in regards to this metaphor, but to try to explain my thoughts and ideas about these close folks would take more time than I unfortunately have to write this morning, and would more than likely be so long a post that it would not be particularly valuable.

But, on a bigger picture level, this same "boiling frog metaphor" applies to many constructs in modern society.  There is an incredible difference in several aspects of society that have gradually changed that IMO make modern society far more hurtful, mean, unkind, non-inclusive, and definitely not working towards the common good:</sup>

• ^{The change in view of science.  It has now become "ok" and regularly the "norm" to accept the idea that anti-science folks can simply spout their false and unreasoned notions about science, scientific process, health research, environmental research, and on-and-on.... and it is viewed as "perfectly fine" and "equally important and valid a viewpoint" as science and scientific findings are in determining societal/governmental policies.}

• ^{The change in discourse.  The rude, obnoxious trash-talking that goes on so utterly vehemently on television, in social media, and in general society has grown and become the "norm" rather than the exception in most any discussion where people have different views.  It is so, so very hurtful and is (at least for me, although I firmly believe it is true for all of society) harmful sociologically and  psychologically.  And, this is so, so frequently on both sides of the viewpoint of a topic.... it occurs with folks whose basic opinion I disagree with, but also with the folks whose basic opinion I am in agreement with.  It is just so very, very harsh.}

• ^{The change in politics.  This is not just being against Trump.... it goes much farther back than that.  Trump is just the current pinnacle of this "boiling frog metaphor" but it started far more gradually, and was started IMO in the early 1980s with the ways politicians began to think of compromise and cooperation as NEGATIVES.  It did start out slowly, but look where we are today.}  

<sup>The above overview highlights why I think why our broader society is near the point of lethal temperatures at the moment, but we basically do not and have not noticed because it has been horrendously insidious and gradual.  In many ways it is this same with some folks in my more local, day-to-day life.  And this disappoints and hurts me to realize.

PipeTobacco</sup>