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We were not prepared, as a species, for a device that let us come up with any opinion at all and find validation for it.
It used to be that when you had an opinion that was wrong, you’d say it out loud a number of times, and you’d notice that everyone around you would call you an imbecile and ridicule you. It would make you reassess yourself and grow as a person.
Now that societal failsafe is gone. Now people just aren’t challenged for holding the wrong opinion.
That was an integral part of growing up and maturing. We don’t have a solution for it.
That’s why rather than trying to change people’s mind on the internet, I’ve resorted to just ridiculing them instead.
Why are you being downvoted? Why are you being made fun of? Ridiculing others isn’t particularly nice. If the person you’re arguing with is a troll, move on. If they aren’t a troll, then have a civil and respectful discussion with them. If you can’t come to a middle ground where you understand their point and they understand your point, move on.
Ridiculing others is just mean. Who knows what they’re going through? It’s easy to forget people behind these texts are people too.
I hate arguments in general because time and time again, people go into an argument trying to prove their point, the other person feels their point is being attacked since they’re being told a different point so then it turns into both sides attacking the other person’s point. Like, you think they’re gonna be inclined to understand your point if you say something like, “That is a stupid point you’re making because…” All that’s gonna do is make the other person feel attacked, so they attack your points (or you), which makes an argument just a war zone where both sides aren’t trying to under each other and instead try to find anything that helps their point, like warping their words a little, or pressuring them so that they say something stupid which they can use as ammunition. At that point, no one is trying to understand each other. They’re all too busy trying to prove their point while hurting the other person’s point. Try to understand the other person. Doesn’t mean you have to agree with them. Just understand.
It’s not that they aren’t challenged for any given opinion, If you go into the wrong place you still get lambasted but then you’ll just say "oh that’s because I put an insert group here idea in an insert opposing group forum and thats why I got downvoted. The problem is how easily you can put yourself in a bubble online, compared to real life where unless you work/shop/live in the same community of like-minded people you’ll be forced to eventually come to grips with the fact that you’re one of many POV’s.
It’s hard to tell how popular or unpopular your opinion is in terms of the average person, now. Since it’s all just chatrooms online with vague numbers of subscribers, etc.
This exactly. I think theres a saying that goes “our technology far outstrips our actual intelligence”. Surprisingly smart phones & arguably the internet as well are both technologies that we are unable to manage responsibly as a species. Confirmation bias is one hell of a drug
Back in the 90’s & early 00’s, if you were running around ranting about Jewish space lasers or kids being dissected in the basement of your local Pizza Hut, you’d be shunned, ridiculed and likely catch a visit from your local police department haha
Yeah. I firmly believe it will be a hurdle the human race cannot overcome. Technology advances faster than our own maturity. If you gave a room full of 4 year olds loaded guns, how long would they last in there?
That is us with the internet.
Of course, sometimes those ideas being ridiculed were “I don’t think our king, who claims Primae Noctis and whips anyone who looks at him, was actually chosen by God to rule. Gramp said he remembers when the king murdered the old king and skull-fucked him. Maybe we’re just victims of an inherently violent system?”
I see the Internet getting blamed for this shit and i want to offer a counter-opinion: the tech is different but the problems we have now are the same as we’ve had before: deregulation and corruption.
The Internet is incredible. Even good ol’ r was just as great a tool for learning about other perspectives as it could be an echo chamber. I learned so much about other people just by joining their /r/ and lurking, because I’m the type of person who’s interested in people. The Internet gave me the power to do what i do normally with people but on a larger scale. Perhaps the best critisism of the Internet is also it’s greatest strength, to give more people more range to do what they were doing anyway, for good or ill.
I believe though that when we criticize the Internets current state we are looking at a symptom, not a cause. I believe what we’re looking at is actually the fallout from the media deregulation and consolidation following the telecommunications act of 1996.
Ever since that time the people have increasingly been getting their “news” first in the form of propaganda opinion pieces, otherwise known as otherwise known as VNRs. These press releases, written by increasingly larger, increasingly right-wing corps are designed to sway public opinion rather than inform, and they are very successful at their craft.
The underlying problem in my opinion is that people are exposed to these lies and vitriolic ideas first from these sources. Combine this with a dearth of credible news sources so even one with the critical thinking skills of sherlock would have a hard time finding objective truth?
Well here we are, flailing about in the dark. Some people, when searching for answers, find themselves in echo chambers filled with other people who came to the same conclusion. I don’t blame them. When there is no objective truth, where do you find yours?
Now that societal failsafe is gone. Now people just aren’t challenged for holding the wrong opinion.
I agree with everything you said except for this. Opinions are never wrong since they’re subjective, they’re just fucking stupid.
