everyone replying that socks have a practical use, as if social constructs arent practical???
my issue is that even though “clothing” is a social construct, the stuff that socks are made out of is not. calling that stuff a sock is a social construct, but choosing to put the fabric on your body is not. becoming “clothed” is a social construct, but the unspecified uncategorized state of having that fabric on your body is just a physical state, not a construct. the meaning we apply to it is the thing that wouldn’t exist without socially constructed systems of meaning.
It’s kinda sad, i guess. I’m usually the first one to champion XYZ is a social construct, and have to deal with morons not understanding it, but here? no one is willing to say it?
Socks are not a social construct.
I get that it’s a joke, but wearing socks is not a social construct-- it’s a social convention, but it’s utility is driven primarily by non-social factors. A social construct is an idea created and maintained by society specifically for its social function, which neither socks nor the act or wearing them nor the idea that wearing socks is good, are.
Vegetables are a social construct too.
Afaik, botanically, there is no such thing as a “vegetable”. Only fruits. What we perceive as “vegetable” differs between cultures worldwide.
The botanical definition is just “edible parts of a plant”. The culinary definition however does differs per culture.
Health care is a social construct too.
Your feet are nasty. I don’t need to see them.
Also. The world is nasty. Go raw dog the world and see how long you make it
Your feet are nasty. I don’t need to see them.
Then don’t look.
Aren’t hands much more nasty?
Not that I advocate violence, but not beating your kids, selling them on the street, or making them work in a factory is also a social contract.
Contract yes, as it pertains to laws, but I would argue construct no- since protecting one’s offspring is a natural/biological impulse. It’s non negotiable from a survival viewpoint, and some people have better survival instincts than others.
You cannot invoke biology to generalize here. There are many mammals who use their offsprings as projectile decoys when they are in danger.
Typically those are mammals with larger litters and shorter gestational periods. Human offspring are too resource intensive to be widely used as decoys.
This is a weird conversation.
Are homo sapiens one such mammal?
As long as one person in history has done it once, yes. Just because people around us doesn’ do it, doesn’t mean it’s not “natural”. I don’t know how tribes with 11 disposable children behave.
We used to be night active but if you ask anyone nowadays they’d act like waking up to the sun is THE “natural” thing.
I let my kid go all flower child about the socks. he got athletes foot. Socks SPECIFICALLY are not a social construct. they prevent athletes foot.
Hygiene IS a social construct, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t there for a good reason.
That’s only if you include pointless hygiene like shaving legs and armpits. You’ll legit get skin issues, infections, and possibly attract pests if you don’t wash your ass.
Exactly. Not all social constructs are bad.
Hygiene is not a construct regardless. I swear people just go on the internet and say things.
hygiene, engaging in a practice until hygienic, is a construct. the act of scrubbing your skin might not be
I’d say hygiene is a construct. From that wiki article:
As mind-dependent objects, concepts that are typically viewed as constructs include the abstract objects designated by such symbols as 3 or 4, or words such as liberty or cold as they are seen as a result of induction or abstraction that can be later applied to observable objects or compared to other constructs.
With this in mind, hygiene itself cannot be seen directly, and thus abstract. We can see the effects of hygiene (such as a clean body, lack of body odor, or opposite of hygiene, such as athlete’s foot or other diseases), but we cannot see hygiene itself.
I can see my maxi pads.
Good point, kid, and here’s another one: those toys you want me to buy you are a social construct. Playtime? Yep. Social construct. Shall I keep going? Video games are next.
Reminds me of the time I saw people arguing on Reddit about the phrase “time is a social construct” where some people were completely incapable of understanding what that means and conflating the concept of time with the fundamental physics thingymcgee (idk how to call it and entity feels wrong).
People were trying so hard to explain that minutes, months, seasons, etc. are all arbitrary things made up only for them to retort with “but a year is a full rotation of the sun” or “seasons exist because that’s how the planet changes its climate”.
the fundamental physics thingymcgee (idk how to call it and entity feels wrong)
Your not wrong, “thingymcgee” is the technical term but it’s still a social construct just like gravity.
It is a social construct, and we live in a society… so put your damn socks on
Socks have a practical use, they wick sweat away from your feet - this is practical in low temps where you will wear a cotton sock with a wool sock on top of it
In cold temps I just wear a wool sock. Cotton is cold.
The cotton will dry as the wool absorbs the sweat from it
Could save you a toe
I’ve always been warm with my socks. Thank you
with this heat wave, wearing any clothes is also a social construct.
More like: not wearing bedouin robes: https://english.elpais.com/culture/2022-08-16/the-bedouin-lesson-a-scientific-study-proves-robes-are-the-best-garment-to-wear-in-the-desert-heat.html
In desert heat. Humidity is a thing.
Parents feeding their kids is also a social construct. The Ancients tossed their kids in the salt mines quite early.
The children yearn for the mines
You see, in this world there’s two kinds of children, my friend: Those with Playstation 5s and those who dig.
I mean, if you have daughters send em to the work the corner. Probably a much better ROI if you can overlook being your daugher’s pimp.
Sadly, the younger the daughter, probably the better ROI both over time and initially. Now I feel gross for recognizing that evil exists in this world as more than just a concept, some people embody it.
Some social constructs serve a purpose.
I like Max Stirner’s perspective. Like you said, they can be useful - but we can also give them too much authority over us. It’s important to be aware of that.
Yeah, fuck socks! They don’t own me!
Exactly! “Boys” socks, “girls” socks, no - my socks.
Why are socks gendered.
Exactly!
Exactly. Money is a useful construct, but if you look at everything associated with it it’s insane. A tool for tracking the value of goods and services has resulted in wall street, crypto currency, and people burying gold in their yards. It’s become a status symbol to hold this placeholder for labor without doing labor.
I’m not necessarily on board with a moneyless society anytime soon, but I am definitely currency critical.
Currency is an excellent example.
Groups or organizations are another.
Yeah!
Mammals are a social construct. They still serve a purpose.
What matters is what purpose they serve. Not many people are opressed by the concept of mammals.
“Attitudes against smacking children are also a social construct…”
