6 ms·

It's almost like you're taking your personal experiences and extrapolating them to the entire world. Step out of your bubble.

daxfohl 10y ago
I'm completely with you, but how?
- astrodust 10y ago
  Follow people on Twitter who you'd never meet in real life, people from different backgrounds or with wildly different points of view. There's no bubble on Twitter but the one you make for yourself.
  - intopieces 10y ago
    Unfortunately, stepping out of my bubble on Twitter would involved reading racist, sexist, homophobic, Islamophobic, xenophobic invectives. I know we're entering the "post-PC" / "PC-backlash" era but that doesn't mean I ought to spend my precious attention on people whose opinions are not worth considering. But, then again, I've never really been on the Twitter train anyway.
    - astrodust 10y ago
      Either you want out of the bubble or you don't. There are people with contrarian views that aren't necessarily completely batshit insane, like those that chug Alex Jones. For example, I've found David Brin to be fairly balanced, far from left-leaning, but not the sort of Libertarian people like Theil aspire to be: https://twitter.com/DavidBrin https://twitter.com/DavidBrin I'm sure other people can post recommendations here.
      - intopieces 10y ago
        > Either you want out of the bubble or you don't. I don't think that's a fair assertion. It's possible to both want to understand opposing points of view but also not have the bandwidth to filter out clearly not-worthwhile text. I'm never unblocking comments on YouTube. I'm never going back to Reddit. It's like being home for Thanksgiving: When the conversation starts with "Well Obama's a Muslim so..." you know it's time to take your turkey plate to the living room and watch the parade.
        mentat 10y ago
        I'm curious how you think one can understand without spending bandwidth.
        astrodust 10y ago
        As painful as it is you have to engage with people like that. If your own family is chugging Trump, it's a chance to try and nudge them, incrementally, away from their extremist positions. Like maybe admit that Hillary might not be literally the devil. Baby steps.
        oldmanjay 10y ago
        I can't tell with this particular topic - are you making a bad joke or do you legitimately feel this sort of smug behavior would be helpful?
        astrodust 10y ago
        I'm saying if you've got a family so far gone they're doing lines of Alex Jones on their Facebook page every day then there's ways of getting them rehabilitated. This isn't smug. This is fact. Facebook is filled with toxic garbage. Simply nudging people away from that and to something more rational would be a huge step towards civil discourse.
        intopieces 10y ago
        You can't. But not everyone deserves my bandwidth. Empathy and intellectual curiosity are my only prerequisites. If a person can't meet those, I don't have the headspace for anything they have to say. The less energy I spend being my own gatekeeper, the more I have for things that truly enrich my life.
  - daxfohl 10y ago
    I completely agree on twitter. It's facebook, mbp, and trump that I don't get. Amazingly, in roughly that order.
- linkregister 10y ago
  Taking a trip to a tourist destination such as Memphis or Nashville would be a good opportunity. Spending a day in the Central Valley or even Gilroy would be a start; interacting with people in real life helps you to understand their point-of-view better. I vehemently disagree with the suggestion of following accounts outside your bubble on Twitter; most people are snarky and mean. It would most likely alienate you from them and never actually discover their point of view. Btw, I dig your humility.
  - daxfohl 10y ago
    Haha, I lived in CA and it was too liberal (note my aversion to all-thins-Apple?). I lived in Houston for seven years and, well.... I've also lived in India, Korea, Germany, Scotland, Taiwan, Malaysia FWIW. I think I can deal with twitter. My soul is somewhere between MI and OR.
    - linkregister 10y ago
      I'm guessing you spent no time in the Central Valley or north of Sacramento. It is very conservative in contrast to the Bay Area. Colorado strikes a good balance. Appropriate levels of social spending, focus on fitness, very little finger-wagging by social conservatives, excellent opportunities for recreational shooting.

daxfohl 10y ago

I'm completely with you, but how?

astrodust 10y ago
Follow people on Twitter who you'd never meet in real life, people from different backgrounds or with wildly different points of view. There's no bubble on Twitter but the one you make for yourself.
- intopieces 10y ago
  Unfortunately, stepping out of my bubble on Twitter would involved reading racist, sexist, homophobic, Islamophobic, xenophobic invectives. I know we're entering the "post-PC" / "PC-backlash" era but that doesn't mean I ought to spend my precious attention on people whose opinions are not worth considering. But, then again, I've never really been on the Twitter train anyway.
  - astrodust 10y ago
    Either you want out of the bubble or you don't. There are people with contrarian views that aren't necessarily completely batshit insane, like those that chug Alex Jones. For example, I've found David Brin to be fairly balanced, far from left-leaning, but not the sort of Libertarian people like Theil aspire to be: https://twitter.com/DavidBrin https://twitter.com/DavidBrin I'm sure other people can post recommendations here.
    - intopieces 10y ago
      > Either you want out of the bubble or you don't. I don't think that's a fair assertion. It's possible to both want to understand opposing points of view but also not have the bandwidth to filter out clearly not-worthwhile text. I'm never unblocking comments on YouTube. I'm never going back to Reddit. It's like being home for Thanksgiving: When the conversation starts with "Well Obama's a Muslim so..." you know it's time to take your turkey plate to the living room and watch the parade.
      - mentat 10y ago
        I'm curious how you think one can understand without spending bandwidth.
        astrodust 10y ago
        As painful as it is you have to engage with people like that. If your own family is chugging Trump, it's a chance to try and nudge them, incrementally, away from their extremist positions. Like maybe admit that Hillary might not be literally the devil. Baby steps.
        oldmanjay 10y ago
        I can't tell with this particular topic - are you making a bad joke or do you legitimately feel this sort of smug behavior would be helpful?
        astrodust 10y ago
        I'm saying if you've got a family so far gone they're doing lines of Alex Jones on their Facebook page every day then there's ways of getting them rehabilitated. This isn't smug. This is fact. Facebook is filled with toxic garbage. Simply nudging people away from that and to something more rational would be a huge step towards civil discourse.
        intopieces 10y ago
        You can't. But not everyone deserves my bandwidth. Empathy and intellectual curiosity are my only prerequisites. If a person can't meet those, I don't have the headspace for anything they have to say. The less energy I spend being my own gatekeeper, the more I have for things that truly enrich my life.
- daxfohl 10y ago
  I completely agree on twitter. It's facebook, mbp, and trump that I don't get. Amazingly, in roughly that order.
linkregister 10y ago
Taking a trip to a tourist destination such as Memphis or Nashville would be a good opportunity. Spending a day in the Central Valley or even Gilroy would be a start; interacting with people in real life helps you to understand their point-of-view better. I vehemently disagree with the suggestion of following accounts outside your bubble on Twitter; most people are snarky and mean. It would most likely alienate you from them and never actually discover their point of view. Btw, I dig your humility.
- daxfohl 10y ago
  Haha, I lived in CA and it was too liberal (note my aversion to all-thins-Apple?). I lived in Houston for seven years and, well.... I've also lived in India, Korea, Germany, Scotland, Taiwan, Malaysia FWIW. I think I can deal with twitter. My soul is somewhere between MI and OR.
  - linkregister 10y ago
    I'm guessing you spent no time in the Central Valley or north of Sacramento. It is very conservative in contrast to the Bay Area. Colorado strikes a good balance. Appropriate levels of social spending, focus on fitness, very little finger-wagging by social conservatives, excellent opportunities for recreational shooting.