Someone told me to just “get over it”. I found this odd. I wasn’t sure what he meant. So I checked the dictionary. It seems to mean the same thing as “it is what it is”.
This appears to be a non sequitur. For those, like me, who never studied Latin, a non sequitur is “a conclusion or statement that does not logically follow from the previous argument or statement.” In other words, if I say “It’s below freezing outside, clouds are moving in and the humidity is up,” it would be a non sequitur to say “Then let’s get our bathing suits on and go to the beach!” A non sequitur is a conclusion or statement that just doesn’t make sense with the evidence presented.
So when civil libertarians say that the scanners make us less safe, they wouldn’t have caught the underwear bomber, the safety of the radiation is unproven and it’s humiliating to be virtually strip searched and/or groped, “Get over it!” is a non-response. It’s a non sequitur. It doesn’t respond to our concerns. It has no logical relationship with what we just said.
In fact, It may reflect a failure to think, a desire to avoid reasoned discussion and a reflexive demand to put your head down and do what you are told. And that is the core of the issue. But obedience to power, a fake and unearned authority, is dangerous and stupid. Power doesn’t care about you. It only cares about expanding its power.
What’s the best response to the “Get-over-it” people? Here’s one: “I am over it. I stopped flying commercial airlines and I won’t give them another red cent until they stand up for us, their customers!” What’s your response? Keep it civil!