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> Stop assuming there are enough rational/good actors to counter act the bad/ignorant actors who propagate bad information. It took me a few minutes to think o

by ufmace 8y ago

> Stop assuming there are enough rational/good actors to counter act the bad/ignorant actors who propagate bad information. It took me a few minutes to think of what really bothered me about this line of thinking, and I think it comes down to this sentence. If you believe that this is true, why should it stop with just the internet? Why not all of life? This is exactly the line of thinking that, when applied to real life, translates to "We must have a dictatorship of the enlightened because people are not smart enough to function in a Democracy". This philosophy has been put forth a great many times by a great many people. The end result of it is typically not very pleasant for anyone. Particularly for those who thought that they were one of the smarter ones who were too well-educated and enlightened to fall for anything really bad.

kadendogthing 8y ago
Before I continue, how exactly does a dictatorship play into what I said? You realize say, peer review is a thing. You can't just publish whatever on a news site. Or in scientific journals, or your community bulltein board. So I'm a bit confused.
rosser 8y ago
> If you believe that this is true, why should it stop with just the internet? Why not all of life? It is true of "all of life" but the social dynamics (coupled with bog-standard H. sapiens cognitive foibles) in play when you aren't interacting with a "real person", but merely a name on a screen, empowers the bad/ignorant actors far moreso than it does the good/rational ones. Even the most reprehensible forum troll knows that if he behaved that way to someone's face, he'd get punched.
- eli_gottlieb 8y ago
  >Even the most reprehensible forum troll knows that if he behaved that way to someone's face, he'd get punched. Honestly, in my experience, this isn't true. "Troll"-type demonstrators and protesters behave like, well, trolls to people's face all the time, and it's generally considered part of Good Public Decorum and Free Speech not to punch them.

by ufmace 8y ago

kadendogthing 8y ago

Before I continue, how exactly does a dictatorship play into what I said? You realize say, peer review is a thing. You can't just publish whatever on a news site. Or in scientific journals, or your community bulltein board. So I'm a bit confused.

rosser 8y ago

> If you believe that this is true, why should it stop with just the internet? Why not all of life? It is true of "all of life" but the social dynamics (coupled with bog-standard H. sapiens cognitive foibles) in play when you aren't interacting with a "real person", but merely a name on a screen, empowers the bad/ignorant actors far moreso than it does the good/rational ones. Even the most reprehensible forum troll knows that if he behaved that way to someone's face, he'd get punched.

eli_gottlieb 8y ago
>Even the most reprehensible forum troll knows that if he behaved that way to someone's face, he'd get punched. Honestly, in my experience, this isn't true. "Troll"-type demonstrators and protesters behave like, well, trolls to people's face all the time, and it's generally considered part of Good Public Decorum and Free Speech not to punch them.