Despite any controversy surrounding him as an artist, I continue to appreciate Baton Rouge, Louisiana rapper Webbie’s 2005 album Savage Life. It has nostalgic value to me for a number of reasons. In any case, my favorite track from the anthology is called “What Is It?” Lyrics include:
Is it my car? Is it my clothes
That make these hoes want fuck fa’ sho’?
Is it my style, the way I roll
That make these haters want hate some mo’?
The song is essentially the rapper’s voyage into critical thinking, exploring why it apparently is that he isn’t liked by others. This is precisely the sort of disputation of one’s own assumptions which I advocate when using rational emotive behavior therapy (REBT).
Critical thinking is defined as one’s ability to analyze, evaluate, and make logical and reasonable judgments about information, in regard to the nature of truth. Also, it involves questioning assumptions, considering multiple perspectives, and making decisions based on reliable data.
To varying degrees, I’ve used critical thinking since childhood. For instance, when hearing a biblical story about people being able to manifest serpents from dead or inanimate objects, I wondered what it was that existed in the world which rivaled the power of Jehovah (Exodus 7:8-13):
8 The Lord said to Moses and Aaron, 9 “When Pharaoh says to you, ‘Perform a miracle,’ then say to Aaron, ‘Take your staff and throw it down before Pharaoh,’ and it will become a snake.”
10 So Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and did just as the Lord commanded. Aaron threw his staff down in front of Pharaoh and his officials, and it became a snake. 11 Pharaoh then summoned wise men and sorcerers, and the Egyptian magicians also did the same things by their secret arts: 12 Each one threw down his staff and it became a snake. But Aaron’s staff swallowed up their staffs. 13 Yet Pharaoh’s heart became hard and he would not listen to them, just as the Lord had said.
What type of metaphysical fuckery allowed Pharaoh’s wise men and sorcerers to manifest snakes from their staffs? I was bewildered. A similar exploration on the determination of truth occurred into adolescence.
As an example, it was in my teenage years that I began to question the notion of Yeshua (Jesus) returning to Earth once more (Matthew 25:31-33) when he was said to have already revisited humankind for a second time (1 Corinthians 15:3-4). For context, consider the following verses:
“After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi[a] from the east came to Jerusalem” (Matthew 2:1). This was identified as Christ’s first time on Earth.
1 Corinthians 15:3-4 reports, “3 For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance[a]: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures.”
This was Yeshua’s return to humankind, marking visit number two. However, Matthew 25:31-33 announces yet another return, often referred to as a second coming, by suggesting:
31 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. 32 All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.
With two noted times on Earth, 1 Thessalonians 4:16–17 corroborates the second coming narrative by stating:
16 For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.
This was Christ’s proposed second – though actually third – visit to Earth. What type of mathematical fuckery is used when 1+1+1=2? “What is it people use when deluding themselves into believing Yeshua will again return?” I wondered.
In young adulthood, I continued a voyage into critical thinking when contemplating why it was that the Uniform Code of Military Justice, to which I was legally bound when serving as a United States (U.S.) Marine, seemed antithetical to the natural rights expressed in the Constitution.
Throughout my time in the military, I was repeatedly reminded of how I supposedly had the right to free expression – though not actually. Addressing this matter, one source states:
Like all Americans, members of the Armed Forces have the right to free speech, but they also have a responsibility to protect the nation and to understand there are times when right and responsibility may not go hand-in-hand.
Federal courts have recognized the uniqueness of the military and the need to limit these freedoms. In Parker v. Levy, 417 US 733, in 1974 the court said: “The different character of the military community and of the military mission requires a different application of (First Amendment) protections.”
A servicemember’s right to free speech is limited to protect the national interest.
What manner of anti-constitutional fuckery was it that I was allowed to serve according to the Constitution while simultaneously not being afforded the full rights recognized by it? “What is it that I signed up for?” I questioned.
Many years following my military service, COVID-19 impacted the globe. More accurately stated, the response by authoritarian power structures on a local, state, federal, and international level ravaged the lives of perhaps countless people worldwide.
Mask mandates which were arguably ineffective, social distancing which regrettably hampered herd immunity, inflexible standards which disallowed people to work while simultaneously incentivizing people to spend more money, and the so-called vaccine were representative of abysmal policy failures.
All the while, I observed many U.S. citizens ostensibly cheering on the virtually dictatorial actions of government entities. Supposedly, this was all done in the name of “the science”—a bastardized version of the scientific method. Addressing this matter, I stated in a blog entry entitled The Science:
Though overreaction to COVID-19 within the United States (U.S.) now seems like a distant memory, I make an effort not to allow the passage of time to impact the lessons I learned from that period of my life. Namely, I choose not to forget how science was captured by the linguistically manipulated phrase “the science.”
If COVID-19 was reportedly spread when an infected person breathed out droplets which contained the virus, it never made sense to cover only one’s mouth and nose though not the eyes which were vectors of particulate compromise. What type of pseudoscientific fuckery was that? What was it that led to global compliance with tyrannical behavior?
Fast-forward to the current week, as the 2024 U.S. presidential election is well underway and may reveal whether Donald Trump of Kamala Harris will be the next President of the U.S., I continue thinking critically. As an example, consider what one source states:
Polling data expert Nate Silver slammed election forecasts showing a close race between presidential candidates Kamala Harris and Donald Trump across several states. Silver accused many pollsters of “herding” to ensure their predictions aren’t too far off from other predictions.
“In fact, I kind of trust pollsters less, they all, every time a pollster [says] ‘Oh, every state is just +1, every single state’s a tie,’ No! You’re fucking herding! You’re cheating! You’re cheating!” said Silver during a Friday episode of his weekly podcast, Risky Business with Nate Silver and Maria Konnikova.
If you’ve paid any attention to the presidential polls, you’re likely asking yourself – much in the same manner as me – what type of sociopolitical fuckery is this? What is it that motivates people to lie to U.S. citizens in regard to their decisions which could influence the next four years?
Helpfully, I don’t disturb myself with irrational beliefs when employing the useful tool of critical thinking. Quite the opposite, in fact. Instead, I find that by asking “what is it?” when faced with an undesirable event, I’m better able to gather knowledge, contribute to the process of wisdom, and foster understanding.
This is the converse method of unhelpful demandingness by way of prescriptive narratives relating to how oneself, others, and life should, must, or ought to function. As an example, I don’t illogically and unreasonably demand, “Pollsters must present accurate data!”
Rather, I ask, “What is it about the current data that may be correct or wrong?” In doing so, I find that I remain curious rather than becoming furious in regard to my beliefs.
Perhaps you, too, will find value in the helpful tool of critical thinking. If you’d like to know more about my approach to REBT, which makes use of this technique, I’m here to help.
If you’re looking for a provider who works to help you understand how thinking impacts physical, mental, emotional, and behavioral elements of your life, I invite you to reach out today by using the contact widget on my website.
As the world’s foremost hip hop-influenced REBT psychotherapist, I’m pleased to help people with an assortment of issues from anger (hostility, rage, and aggression) to relational issues, adjustment matters, trauma experience, justice involvement, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, anxiety and depression, and other mood or personality-related matters.
At Hollings Therapy, LLC, serving all of Texas, I aim to treat clients with dignity and respect while offering a multi-lensed approach to the practice of psychotherapy and life coaching. My mission includes: Prioritizing the cognitive and emotive needs of clients, an overall reduction in client suffering, and supporting sustainable growth for the clients I serve. Rather than simply helping you to feel better, I want to help you get better!
Deric Hollings, LPC, LCSW
References:
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