Welcome to the Wakefield Doctrine (the theory of clarks, scotts and rogers)
When I was just small, oh only a couple of years after I would have found my clarklike predominant worldview, my parents would make a point to tell all of us kids about what is polite to talk about and what is not polite to talk about. Like it was yesterday, I can hear my mother (who was a clark of the first water) say, “As your mother* I should tell you that there are certain topics that one does not bring up in polite conversation, politics, money and religion”
You know, it just dawned on me, (“… hey!! Dawn who the hell thought that religion would be a comfortable topic for a FTSF? I bet it was Stephanie!… no wait, if it was Stephanie, the question would be more along the lines of “when you consider the rather extreme outfits of the typical nun, back in the day, how is it that plaid skirts and blazers became such a staple of the middle-aged males fashion fantasies”? and I’m pretty sure it wasn’t Janine she is way too considerate of the feelings of others… I got it! Kate! nice incomplete sentence yo!”), that the three-so-not-polite conversation topics are, in fact, of a quintessentially rogerian nature.
But she, my mother, was a clark. So what was she trying to tell me? (no, this was way, way before the Wakefield Doctrine), but clarks, we all have a drive to figure out the world, we insist (to ourselves and maybe our one best rogerian friend), that there has got to be a way to make sense of the world. So maybe… she was warning me of the dangers of being drawn into a public debate about religion (totally rogerian, what with the whole referential authority thing) or politics (“you like me! vote for me, because I am liked by you…and you are all collectively rogerian you will even name things that I don’t own after me! in honor of me being me!! vote for me.”) or money….(” I’m sorry, we can’t lend you the money you need. I would do it, but it’s the rules, you know. They won’t let me lend you the money. You understand, don’t you that it’s not my fault. You still think I’m your friend, though, don’t you?”)
In church (place of worship), I learned to…
(warning: this is a 30 plus year recollection of a clark who was sentenced to 2-8 years in a Catholic school. I probably can stop writing right here, as anyone who has gone to Catholic school will know what will follow. Nothing real bad, nothing surprising, nothing even close to the level of some of the more modern examples of…. er lets call it cloistered excesses. Just that my guide through the admittedly byzantine (ha ha) world of religious education in the hands of the Sisters of Mercy (the only living flesh to show…ever were the hands and the face of these dedicated young and excessively forthright mature women), may not correspond to many situations seen today. (At least not outside of counseling sessions and blog posts).
So what did I learn?
Nothing that I didn’t know already. Being a clark prepares a child for living in a world that is both endlessly facinating, and coldly distant…the people and the things and the institutions. So as far as my place-of-worship education, I learned: that the Sisters of Mercy had no answer for the following 8 year old’s question: “When the world ends, what will happen to the people who might be living on other worlds…like maybe Mars or someplace we don’t know about. Will the Second Coming be over there at the same time?”
(…I had to wait until college to get the answer to that one.)
now about those damn politicians
* astute Readers of the Doctrine smile at this, she found it necessary to state her relationship that bestows the authority, before teaching us important stuff, ’cause as a clark, you can’t be too careful somebody may demand your credentials
About clarkscottroger
Having gone to Catholic School myself, I knew where you were going on this one for sure. same here, I didn’t learn anything I didn’t already know!! But seriously, thank you for sharing and linking up. And by the way, I didn’t come up with this sentence (seriously I can never come up with the good ones, lol!!).
@Janine
… I suspect it is difficult to find the full on habits that the Sisters of Mercy used to wear. I should have told the story of sister Imelda… a psycho-sexual precursor if ever there was one.
this should an interesting FTSF
Great post! Funny post! And damn, if there isn’t material for many more posts….
You should tell it anyways :p
I never went to Catholic school, nor was I taught until much later that Catholicism was anything more than a weird kind of idolistic sect.
I was badly taught at first, but met some wonderful people along the way. Some of whom nearly had me convinced.
But in the end, I am just who I am. Not very Anglican (cos that’s not how we roll) but very (well, ish) spiritual and enjoying it all.
See, the logic of the clark sometimes needs answers to the otherwise unanswerable.
@Considerer
I was in much the same situation as many small children, brought up in the religious beliefs of the parents, no choice on my part. The parochial school thing was special, as anyone having the experience will attest to.
I think it would take a person who doesn’t mind a little discussion to generate this Friday’s prompt! And actually, it is open to interpretation. Thanks for sharing, Clark!
@Michelle
yeah, surely a roger to not only be comfortable with the possibility of discomfort in the resulting conversation but they (rogers) have a great affinity for organized religion.
We entertained last night. I have a headache. Today’s post has too many syllables. No coherent comments are forthcoming. So I’m going to grab a clark bar, grab a box of scott’s tissue and roger my way back to bed. Any more information is not considered polite conversation.
@Cheryl
(what’s that I hear…off in the distance? “You…Miss House will write ‘the Latin conjugation of last night is: entertain…entertainamuss…entertainamae’ 111 times on the black board”)
Color me curious … what was the answer you received in college about other worlds?? Or were you being punny about the second coming??
I just laughed. Now my head hurts more. Thanks a lot.
Well, first of all, I loved your hypotheses on which of us came up with the idea for this week’s sentence! You were, of course, correct! And this was my favorite sentence: “Being a clark prepares a child for living in a world that is both endlessly facinating, and coldly distant…the people and the things and the institutions. ” Wow. Nice job.
@Stephanie
thank you, the (so far) enduring cool thing about the Doctrine are the little phrases that convey a sense, albeit in a very liberal sense, the world as experienced by clarks…to hear the resonating from readers… the ‘that doesn’t make sense, but it feels right’.
Hey, I somehow got totally behind on Commenting… will be over to the FTSF
OMG I love that you asked whether the second coming would come to Mars and other worlds at the same time as here. And can you please share the answer you learned in college because, although I’ve never wondered that myself, now I simply must know.
@Kristi
but it is a reasonable question, no? I mean, I wasn’t trying to get a ‘wise alleck’ or try to challenge Catholic dogma… it just seemed that if the possibility of life on other planets was already out there, then the question of what happens to them when the End of Days comes was not out of the realm of a serious discussion. oh yeah, they were nuns.
Hey Kristi, I’ll trade you awful stories. I have an awful experience in the third grade (awful for a clark)… I’ll trade you for one of your own. I will even go first, but only if you agree to participate….
I was sentenced to plaid for 8 years. Then, I got out for good behavior. Though I still wear a scarlet G: guilt. Dammit.
I would venture to guess that since clarks are so flexible, people-pleasing, thinking and sensitive individuals, that the guilt-factor naturally weighs heavy on their minds…
@Cyndi
yes and no… I think that (sometimes)when the guilt stimulating agency is sufficiently rogerian, we (clarks) sometimes get a pass, because the guilt of a clark is intrinsically a differently experience than the guilt of a roger. The emotion of guilt in a roger is more akin to ‘shame’… in a clark is to more akin to shame….
I know, that doesn’t make sense. But it does! (plus I am buying time before I answer Kristi’s question about the question of the End Times on other planets….) but there is a weird thing that we (clarks) do with guilt and shame. Lets start with the easy one (to contrast), rogerian guilt is really shame, but shame is a positive experience for the herd. Think of hazing… or initiations suffer for the right to belong. This is also why rogers devalue most of the things that we clarks offer (when we are trying to help them), we offer it free, they equate free with valuelessness.
so how is shame (and it’s step parent, guilt) a different experience for clarks? because it connects to our Outsider nature… in a way that, somehow produces more energy/emotion than it started with… sorta
really good question… I want to explore this further, but Kristi is starting to pace and smile just a little too brightly, so I need to get to her Comment.
(Don’t tell her I said anything!!)
That last sentence – “as a Clark you can’t be too careful, someone may demand your credentials”… Wow. That really hit home and provided another proof for being a Clark.
This is one my favourite posts by you. It’s interesting to see the beginnings of the doctrine in your mother and BTW, couldn’t agree more, money, religion, politics – eeeeek.
@Katia
you know, as I hear from an increasing number of clarks (not that I doubted they were out there), I can’t help but get the feeling that there is something uniquely useful to us (clarks) in the sense of shared experience (not that our worldview of the Outsider changes…but there is a feeling* that someone else identifies with my experience of ‘the world’)
* yeah, like that concept rolls off the tongue lol
Dude… another “crack me up” Post if ever there was one. You’re too much. lol, Slu
@Slu
I consider your statement of my over-sufficiency to be a compliment and invite you to join us tonight on the Wakefield Doctrine Saturday Night Drive Call-in ( 218-339-0422 access code 512103 # ) EDT 8:00 to 8:45 pm
Kristi! Come on! Give us a story! I want to hear “awful” stories of my people. Like what happened to Clark in the 3rd grade. LOL
I have one of my own from 1st grade. A wee child but I. Make that 2 stories from 1st grade:)
And…the story in 4th grade where I witnessed the wrath of a scary, scottian, really old nun, letting loose on a fellow classmate, (yes, he was a scott ).
lol: dang straight it was a comp!!!
although it would probably be a hoot, we are getting ready/checking out to go on vacation tonight.
thanks though, but another day… Slu
@Slu
it is one of the more…interesting things that we do ’round this here Doctrine here… hey! send us some photos of the scenery (if I had known you were traveling I could have sent you an Official Wakefield Doctrine docTee… perhaps next year).
have fun
I tend to be a bit of a pot-stirrer. Your dear mother would think I was quite the imp. :)
SIncerely-
Clarkette Rogina.
@Tracy
no! lol you know, I will be very interested in what you see as your pre-dominant worldview and secondary aspects!
…and in answer to your statements (that the Readers can’t hear*): a)no, you don’t have to…we enjoy this and there is no requirement to conform or do anything else that you don’t find amusing, the Doctrine’s middle name is fun** 2)no, I won’t think that about or anyone else… hey, since Slu is unable to make the call in tonight, why don’t you call us!! Yeah, that’s a great idea!! here’s the number, since he won’t be using it:( 218-339-0422 access code 512103 # )
…even though the recorded voice asks for a name, I am the one to ‘answer the phone’ you will find me a clumsy but well-meaning host***
*that you’re thinking and/or muttering to yourself at the moment
** well, technically it would be Wakefield, if we considered the whole name ‘the Wakefield Doctrine’
*** I agree with you, yeah, right lol
Hi there, what a read this was! The post plus comments are riveting, how on earth do you all do this? The ideas just seem to leap out from the page. Fascinating! The funny thing is that most of my class-mates and present friends and contacts were all educated in Catholic schools, and we still have them around, plaid skirts and blazers included (for the girls, that is!) You don’t see many nuns in traditional garments wandering round the streets anymore, I guess the ones that are still alive are too old, but the younger genberations are still with us! I’m extremely grateful to have been educated in a non-denominational school. And my parents were pretty liberal (I think, judging by the results! I mean ME!) So see you around and just keep them rolling!
@Joan
Hey, Joan good to hear from you! this particular bloghop has a number of things that set it apart from a lot of the others, thinking mostly of the 2 day period. (Many have a time frame over days) but the activity on the weekend is interesting… Considerer had a great idea the way she sit up. Kind of reminds me of a coffee house on the weekend. People stopping in…sometimes one or two, other times more…interesting threads (of) conversations.
I can say I’m glad I wasn’t in this blog hop for this particular question. Though, you did well being fairly verbose for having learned nothing you didn’t already know. Kudos to that.
That is a great question, and I doubt I would have ever had the thought to ask it. Did it ever produce a ruler to hand connection?
Jak
@Jak
worse! it got me ‘the look’. (Which all of us clarks are familiar with… the seeming concern, the caution…the assessment “does this pose a threat to the others’ lol) as Outsiders, can be as passion-inducing of the half-closed eyes of a lover.
Nope. Though they did worse*
*how is it that clarks (of both genders) avowedly apart and shy and unsell-confident are such natural …teases? damn!