My thoughts on “horrifying” are pretty much the same, but that word hasn’t stuck out to me as much before. And your comments struck me as more likely to be downvoted for tone, even though the content is generally good. (Disclaimer: commenting based on my impressions of such things has failed me in the past.)
My thoughts on “horrifying” are pretty much the same, but that word hasn’t stuck out to me as much before.
So you argue against mentioning emotions in general?
And your comments struck me as more likely to be downvoted for tone
It is kinda funny how a forum which prides itself on not discussing politics is based on a political system (the anonymous democracy of karma). Every time a poster stops to consider whether his post will be upvoted or downvoted, he is engaging in politics.
So you argue against mentioning emotions in general?
I think that people should feel free to mention their emotions, but they should also express them in a manner that recognizes said emotions are two place words. X is horrified/disgusted by Y.
Something may be ‘disgusting’ you, and that’s a useful datapoint, but to say that something is ‘disgusting’ as if it’s an inherent characteristic of the thing pretty much puts a stopper to the conversation. What could be the response “No, it’s not”?
How would you feel about someone who said things like “Homosexuality is disgusting.” as opposed to someone saying something like “Homosexuality icks me out.”? I think you would probably see the latter sentence as less of a conversation-killer than the former.
Something may be ‘disgusting’ you, and that’s a useful datapoint, but to say that something is ‘disgusting’ as if it’s an inherent characteristic of the thing pretty much puts a stopper to the conversation. What could be the response “No, it’s not”?
OK, I see your point. Agree, phrasing my original post as “using children as means for an end disgusts me equally” would have been better.
It is kinda funny how a forum which prides itself on not discussing politics is based on a political system (the anonymous democracy of karma). Every time a poster stops to consider whether his post will be upvoted or downvoted, he is engaging in politics.
Politics as in “politics is the mind-killer” doesn’t mean “involvement with the polis”; it means “entanglement with factional identity”. We routinely touch on the former; insofar as “raising the sanity waterline” can be taken as a goal, for example, it’s inextricably political in that sense. But most of the stuff we’ve historically talked about here isn’t strongly factionalized in the mainstream.
If you’re posting on something that is and you stop to consider its reception, of course, you’re engaging in politics in both senses. But that’s the exception here, not the rule.
I agree with your point that the karma system very much encourages blue/green type of thinking. After all, “what will other people think of me?” is a primal instinct that makes it hard enough already to post your honest beliefs, without the karma system compounding it by showing a number above every post that basically says “X people think you have shut up and not said anything” after you say something controversial.
On the other hand, you have to consider that calling someone’s point of view “horrifying” accomplishes the exact same thing. So I have to agree with others that it’s better to use a more neutral tone when disagreeing.
My thoughts on “horrifying” are pretty much the same, but that word hasn’t stuck out to me as much before. And your comments struck me as more likely to be downvoted for tone, even though the content is generally good. (Disclaimer: commenting based on my impressions of such things has failed me in the past.)
So you argue against mentioning emotions in general?
It is kinda funny how a forum which prides itself on not discussing politics is based on a political system (the anonymous democracy of karma). Every time a poster stops to consider whether his post will be upvoted or downvoted, he is engaging in politics.
I think that people should feel free to mention their emotions, but they should also express them in a manner that recognizes said emotions are two place words. X is horrified/disgusted by Y.
Something may be ‘disgusting’ you, and that’s a useful datapoint, but to say that something is ‘disgusting’ as if it’s an inherent characteristic of the thing pretty much puts a stopper to the conversation. What could be the response “No, it’s not”?
How would you feel about someone who said things like “Homosexuality is disgusting.” as opposed to someone saying something like “Homosexuality icks me out.”? I think you would probably see the latter sentence as less of a conversation-killer than the former.
OK, I see your point. Agree, phrasing my original post as “using children as means for an end disgusts me equally” would have been better.
Politics as in “politics is the mind-killer” doesn’t mean “involvement with the polis”; it means “entanglement with factional identity”. We routinely touch on the former; insofar as “raising the sanity waterline” can be taken as a goal, for example, it’s inextricably political in that sense. But most of the stuff we’ve historically talked about here isn’t strongly factionalized in the mainstream.
If you’re posting on something that is and you stop to consider its reception, of course, you’re engaging in politics in both senses. But that’s the exception here, not the rule.
I agree with your point that the karma system very much encourages blue/green type of thinking. After all, “what will other people think of me?” is a primal instinct that makes it hard enough already to post your honest beliefs, without the karma system compounding it by showing a number above every post that basically says “X people think you have shut up and not said anything” after you say something controversial.
On the other hand, you have to consider that calling someone’s point of view “horrifying” accomplishes the exact same thing. So I have to agree with others that it’s better to use a more neutral tone when disagreeing.