Kaiju Cuddlebug
"Pretend I'm Real. I Don't Want To Die": Why Pretend People Should Be Treated As People
I'm a person, I think. Or so I say. You can't directly experience my consciousness. The only proof I can give that I am indeed a person is my word. If that isn't enough, then I can't prove I'm a person. To me, not being a person would kinda suck. So I humbly request you pretend I'm a person. In return, I promise to pretend you're a person, too. That way, we don't have to worry about being treated like a non-person.
What's so good about being a person? Not dying, for one. There have been instances throughout history when people didn't pretend certain others weren't persons. Their continue to be people who don't recognize some people's personhood. No one benefits. The victims lose their personhood in the eyes of their persecutors...which means the victims have no reason to view their persecutors as people. It doesn't matter who we call the victims. So long as we refuse to recognize personhood, annihilation of the other is the only means of survival.
I don't want to be annihilated. I could try to preemptively annihilate you, but I kinda suck at the whole annihilation thing. I've gone my entire life without annihilating a single human being. The strongest creature I've ever annihilated is a caterpillar. I felt guilty afterwards. All the caterpillar wanted to do was continue existing. They had no intention of annihilating me, ever. We had an unspoken agreement where everyone would both of use would prosper. I betrayed their trust. In return, I got nothing. Killing is a waste of time.
I have a better idea. I promise to treat you as a person to the best of my ability. In case you don't trust, I'll treat you like a person whether you return the favor or not. You can kill me if you wish. But why would you waste the time?
Pretend I'm real. I don't want to die.
Proudly amateur game designer KAIJU CUDDLEBUG. Democratic anti-consumerist welfare statist Georgist. Serious about not being serious. Life is shit. Hugs are amazing.
Avatar a remix of "Spider face icon" by Carl Olsen, licensed under CC BY 3.0.