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The author references reddits "Change my View" subreddit, and dismisses it as a failed experiment, "the instances of the original poster actually changing their
by Yen 8y ago
The author references reddits "Change my View" subreddit, and dismisses it as a failed experiment, "the instances of the original poster actually changing their view were discouragingly few."
I think this is an unnecessarily dismal take on an interesting community. While out-and-out 180 degree reversals of viewpoint are comparatively rare, a very notable portion of posters approach the debate in good faith, and often the discussion results in a softening of views, and an admission of "maybe it wasn't quite so black-and-white or extreme as I originally thought".
i.e., where the author of this article asserts
> Today, the fundamental orientation of online debate culture is toward universals, which are more likely to spark a reaction. There is a heavy reliance on words like “always” and “never,” as well as a tendency towards extreme responses to perceived social ills:
I think the CMV community, on occasion, manages the miracle of pulling away from universal absolutes, and towards an empathetic understanding of concrete situations.
- sanxiyn 8y agoCMV is a great community. I also found its dismissal unpersuasive. In my opinion, the phrase "discouragingly few" shows the author's unrealistic expectation, not the quality of CMV debates.
- mercer 8y agoAnd don't forget the fence-sitters who might not be participating, but might very well end up changing their views.
- sanderjd 8y agoIn general, I think people over-emphasize eureka moments under-estimate the ongoing slow shift of view, in which good debates can be a strong contributor. This goes not just for changing perspectives, but for solidifying them as well. When I look back a decade, I see myself holding many views that are now entirely different, and many that have only been strengthened (and many that I have stopped caring about one way or another), but diminishingly few eureka moments. It's the aggregate of accumulated experience that had produced those changes, much of which was reading and participating in debates that seemed to go nowhere in the moment.