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... complete with lingo ("toxic") that is vague enough that it cannot be defined or disputed. Convenient!
by fche 9y ago
... complete with lingo ("toxic") that is vague enough that it cannot be defined or disputed. Convenient!
- praptak 9y agoYet it is defined right in the article: ..."toxic" being defined as a "rude, disrespectful, or unreasonable comment that is likely to make you leave a discussion."
- remarkEon 9y agoMake who leave a discussion?
- Powerofmene 9y agoThe reader who finds the statements to be toxic.
- majewsky 9y agoSo if there's a post by a climate change denier and I reply "this is wrong because of A, B and C", then this qualifies as toxic now? Awesome.
- openasocket 9y agoWhy would that qualify as toxic by their definition? That's not rude, disrespectful, or unreasonable.
- tomjen3 9y agoBut more likely too let the person leave the discussion. There are definitely things said that can cause me to leave a discussion, even if said in a civil manner. I am not going to stick around to debate a person who believes the earth is flat, no matter how polite.
- openasocket 9y agoI interpret "rude, disrespectful, or unreasonable comment that is likely to make you leave a discussion" as (rude OR disrespectful OR unreasonable) AND likely to make you leave a discussion. So making you want to leave a discussion is necessary but not sufficient.
- majewsky 9y agoThe point is, that's three categories that are very subjective.
- openasocket 9y agoYeah, it is very subjective. Of course, have you ever found an objective definition for any value judgement of text?
- fche 9y agoThe more the better. But think of the incentives this vague "definition" creates. By labelling your opponents "toxic" (claiming that their rude etc. stuff is making you want to leave), you can get them censored. It is rewarding thin-skinnedness with power. This does not end well.
- wildrhythms 9y agoBut they do define "toxic" explicitly: >What's toxic? >This model was trained by asking people to rate internet comments on a scale from "Very toxic" to "Very healthy" contribution. Toxic is defined as... "a rude, disrespectful, or unreasonable comment that is likely to make you leave a discussion."
- fche 9y ago> Toxic is defined as [...] subjective, unquestionable nonsense