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It could also mean "I don't know enough about this topic to form an educated opinion so I'd rather not wade in". I'm not afraid to admit that I often find mysel

It could also mean "I don't know enough about this topic to form an educated opinion so I'd rather not wade in". I'm not afraid to admit that I often find myself in this position when it comes to these contentious political issues. It doesn't mean I don't care and I'm usually happy to be educated.

danShumway 7y ago
This. Expecting everyone to comment on everything is how you get Twitter. People in general should be cautious about wading into contentious debates and more eager to just listen and hear what's what's being said. Yes, this has a side effect of reducing the number of people who are actively challenging the status quo, and yes, there is an element of privilege in being able to say that. But artificially increasing the number of people in a debate can lead to fracturing and a lower quality of conversation. The negative side-effects outweigh the positives -- you risk drowning out the people that you're trying to support and adding misinformation that makes it easier to dismiss your side. People also overestimate the amount of influence that places like Twitter have on policy. My strategy for a while now has been that when I see someone doing something hateful online, I try to avoid getting into an argument, and instead just donate $1-5 to a cause that opposes them. I think that's more helpful, and it comes with fewer negative side-effects. Obviously there's some privilege there as well; not everyone can afford to do that. If that means I'm supporting structural racism... then :shrug:. I don't think telling people to be on 100% of the time is actually helping these movements in any appreciable way. We know from pretty much every other area that specialization and division of labor is more efficient and produces better results than having everyone try to do everything at once. It's not clear to me why social movements are different -- it seems completely obvious to me that specialization is necessary for progress. Of course I'm willing to learn if there's a dimension to this I'm not seeing. My views on that have evolved in the past, and I expect they'll evolve in the future.

danShumway 7y ago

This. Expecting everyone to comment on everything is how you get Twitter. People in general should be cautious about wading into contentious debates and more eager to just listen and hear what's what's being said. Yes, this has a side effect of reducing the number of people who are actively challenging the status quo, and yes, there is an element of privilege in being able to say that. But artificially increasing the number of people in a debate can lead to fracturing and a lower quality of conversation. The negative side-effects outweigh the positives -- you risk drowning out the people that you're trying to support and adding misinformation that makes it easier to dismiss your side. People also overestimate the amount of influence that places like Twitter have on policy. My strategy for a while now has been that when I see someone doing something hateful online, I try to avoid getting into an argument, and instead just donate $1-5 to a cause that opposes them. I think that's more helpful, and it comes with fewer negative side-effects. Obviously there's some privilege there as well; not everyone can afford to do that. If that means I'm supporting structural racism... then :shrug:. I don't think telling people to be on 100% of the time is actually helping these movements in any appreciable way. We know from pretty much every other area that specialization and division of labor is more efficient and produces better results than having everyone try to do everything at once. It's not clear to me why social movements are different -- it seems completely obvious to me that specialization is necessary for progress. Of course I'm willing to learn if there's a dimension to this I'm not seeing. My views on that have evolved in the past, and I expect they'll evolve in the future.