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As a “pragmatist”, you support the status quo. You place agency not on society’s need to change, but on the individual within that society. This means that you

As a “pragmatist”, you support the status quo. You place agency not on society’s need to change, but on the individual within that society. This means that you seem incapable of being rational and critical of societal norms. Your independent variable is an individual, not society. Voices like yours are well-meaning, and ultimately tools for oppression. If that sounds dramatic, just look at history.

DoreenMichele 8y ago
As a “pragmatist”, you support the status quo. I appear to be the only woman to have ever spent time on the leader board of Hacker News (under a different handle). The meaning of that is likely lost on you. Suffice it to say, it hardly supports the status quo.
- brenschluss 8y ago
  Oh, my sincere and deep apologies. Clearly, your high rank on the leaderboard of a forum directly implies that you don’t support the status quo. What an obvious conclusion I have overlooked!
  - deleted 8y ago
    [deleted]
zozbot123 8y ago
Pragmatists are incapable of criticizing social norms? Where did you get that from? And I'm not saying this as some sort of "supporter" of DoreenMichele or anything like that - far from it. She's of course entitled to her opinions, but I'm under no obligation to agree with them.
- brenschluss 8y ago
  Not pragmatists in general. More like: resisting social change in the name of “pragmatism” is a very old pattern. Imagine a dialogue like this before 1967: “Hey friend, I’m just being a pragmatist — interracial marriage is illegal. You could go to jail. Just break up and date someone else. Of course it’s not right, but what can you do? We have to understand that our actions have impact in the society we live within. Don’t take this to court, it’ll ruin your life.” Without people disagreeing with this, without people disagreeing with status quo-aligned pragmatism, Loving vs Virginia would have never happened. Not would have the end of slavery, women’s suffrage, gay marriage, etc.

DoreenMichele 8y ago

As a “pragmatist”, you support the status quo. I appear to be the only woman to have ever spent time on the leader board of Hacker News (under a different handle). The meaning of that is likely lost on you. Suffice it to say, it hardly supports the status quo.

brenschluss 8y ago
Oh, my sincere and deep apologies. Clearly, your high rank on the leaderboard of a forum directly implies that you don’t support the status quo. What an obvious conclusion I have overlooked!
- deleted 8y ago
  [deleted]

zozbot123 8y ago

Pragmatists are incapable of criticizing social norms? Where did you get that from? And I'm not saying this as some sort of "supporter" of DoreenMichele or anything like that - far from it. She's of course entitled to her opinions, but I'm under no obligation to agree with them.

brenschluss 8y ago
Not pragmatists in general. More like: resisting social change in the name of “pragmatism” is a very old pattern. Imagine a dialogue like this before 1967: “Hey friend, I’m just being a pragmatist — interracial marriage is illegal. You could go to jail. Just break up and date someone else. Of course it’s not right, but what can you do? We have to understand that our actions have impact in the society we live within. Don’t take this to court, it’ll ruin your life.” Without people disagreeing with this, without people disagreeing with status quo-aligned pragmatism, Loving vs Virginia would have never happened. Not would have the end of slavery, women’s suffrage, gay marriage, etc.