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I truly wish the predictable conversation to follow could be something other than the inevitable bike shedding over what constitutes free speech, slippery slope

I truly wish the predictable conversation to follow could be something other than the inevitable bike shedding over what constitutes free speech, slippery slopes, and conspiracy theories. In a dozen submissions of similar topics the comments could be largely interchanged with only a few proper nouns being changed. All too often it seems like people firing mortars from deep within ideological trenches, and worse, some people making weak fallacious arguments of doom instead of openly supporting the speech in question. It’s all very twisty, predictable, and pointless and I’ve never seen anyone budge. It’s just “over the top boys” and at the end of the day no man’s land gets a few more craters.

tomp 8y ago
Do you have a more substantial viewpoint to share? I think to a large extent the same arguments are repeated because stories like these are literally arguments for both sides: “See, I was right, censorship will not stop at at anything, it’s a slippery slope!” “See, bad people/ideas should be censored and it helps make society better.”
- GW150914 8y ago
  My point is that it is pointless to have these conversations here, because no exchange of ideas takes place, no intellectual curiosity is satisfied, and bad faith arguments are the norm. You may not like that point, but that doesn’t make it any less of a point. For whatever reason (I already presented my thoughts on those reasons as I see them) this site can’t handle this discussion, and the results are distracting and disheartening. I suspect that a major reason I haven’t yet mentioned is that everyone who isn’t identifying as being on a “side” stays the hell away from them. That leaves the raving ideologues for the most part, with a smattering of the same being shouted down for not hewing to what is Obviously Correct. My substantive point is that the moderation on this site should treat this like any other instance of politics that it buries, because it is, and because it creates the same kinds of endless and repetitive arguments and flame wars.

tomp 8y ago

Do you have a more substantial viewpoint to share? I think to a large extent the same arguments are repeated because stories like these are literally arguments for both sides: “See, I was right, censorship will not stop at at anything, it’s a slippery slope!” “See, bad people/ideas should be censored and it helps make society better.”

GW150914 8y ago
My point is that it is pointless to have these conversations here, because no exchange of ideas takes place, no intellectual curiosity is satisfied, and bad faith arguments are the norm. You may not like that point, but that doesn’t make it any less of a point. For whatever reason (I already presented my thoughts on those reasons as I see them) this site can’t handle this discussion, and the results are distracting and disheartening. I suspect that a major reason I haven’t yet mentioned is that everyone who isn’t identifying as being on a “side” stays the hell away from them. That leaves the raving ideologues for the most part, with a smattering of the same being shouted down for not hewing to what is Obviously Correct. My substantive point is that the moderation on this site should treat this like any other instance of politics that it buries, because it is, and because it creates the same kinds of endless and repetitive arguments and flame wars.