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Given recent incidents I’m sure we’re all familiar with, I would never consider writing on any controversial topic under my real identity. Why would I leave my

Given recent incidents I’m sure we’re all familiar with, I would never consider writing on any controversial topic under my real identity. Why would I leave my family’s economic security at the mercy of malicious, ignorant mobs?

Jolter 6y ago
That doesn’t sound familiar at all to me. Can you give an example of such an incident?
- kbenson 6y ago
  There are links sprinkled all throughout the comments of instances of people having views erroneously attributed to them and the public pressure causing them to lose their jobs. Here's one I just read.[1] How prevalent these are, and whether they outweigh any positive effects of the behavior (or if you even believe there are positive effects) is probably a more nuanced question. 1: https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2020/06/stop-firing-innocent/613615/ https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2020/06/stop-firin...
  - s1artibartfast 6y ago
    Even ignoring the erroneous attributions, I wan't the right to voice a controversial (or even wrong) opinion. Afterall, how else would I engage and learn that I am wrong. It seems that the expectation is increasingly that the only evidence people should need to overturn their personal opinions is the fact that they are not in the majority. Similarly, it seems that very little leeway is given to those who changed their minds, even before their controversial opinions came to light.
  - kaitai 6y ago
    I thought that was a poorly-researched article. I'm most familiar with the Holy Land Deli situation, and actually talking to employees and customers results in articles like https://sahanjournal.com/news/as-holy-land-grocery-attempts-to-mend-relationship-with-community-former-employees-speak-out/ https://sahanjournal.com/news/as-holy-land-grocery-attempts-... It discusses some of the significant problems they had with pay disparity and treatment of Black customers; racism occurs in the Muslim community as in others. Mounk indicates oh, American dream ruined because of spoiled daughter, while actual journalism exposes systematic pay disparities and unequal treatment of customers. Huh. I hope that Holy Land can repair relationships with the community, change its ways, and do better going forward! If it can do that, then this was in fact a net positive for our community. Don't know whether that argues for or against blogging anonymously.
    - kbenson 6y ago
      > Mounk indicates oh, American dream ruined because of spoiled daughter, while actual journalism exposes systematic pay disparities and unequal treatment of customers. Huh. Not to defend the article too much, but does that really matter (I would say it depends on the timeline)? Whether the person persecuted is eventually found to have some reasons why some persecution may have been justified, that does not justify the original persecution. All it does is make people feel better about their past actions, even if those actions were not justified. Punching a random person on the street is not justified because you later find out they are a horrible person. It may make you feel worse about punching the random person... but it really shouldn't.
      - kbenson 6y ago
        Ugh. s/It may make you feel worse/It may make you feel better/
ytrytr 6y ago
The sheer arrogance of thinking the people that disagree with your controversial topic are the "malicious, ignorant mobs". Hahaha, the irony here is funny.
- a1369209993 6y ago
  The sheer arrogance of thinking (some of) the people that agree with your controversial topic are not also "malicious, ignorant mobs".
  - ytrytr 6y ago
    Where did I say or even indicate that?????

Jolter 6y ago

That doesn’t sound familiar at all to me. Can you give an example of such an incident?

kbenson 6y ago
There are links sprinkled all throughout the comments of instances of people having views erroneously attributed to them and the public pressure causing them to lose their jobs. Here's one I just read.[1] How prevalent these are, and whether they outweigh any positive effects of the behavior (or if you even believe there are positive effects) is probably a more nuanced question. 1: https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2020/06/stop-firing-innocent/613615/ https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2020/06/stop-firin...
- s1artibartfast 6y ago
  Even ignoring the erroneous attributions, I wan't the right to voice a controversial (or even wrong) opinion. Afterall, how else would I engage and learn that I am wrong. It seems that the expectation is increasingly that the only evidence people should need to overturn their personal opinions is the fact that they are not in the majority. Similarly, it seems that very little leeway is given to those who changed their minds, even before their controversial opinions came to light.
- kaitai 6y ago
  I thought that was a poorly-researched article. I'm most familiar with the Holy Land Deli situation, and actually talking to employees and customers results in articles like https://sahanjournal.com/news/as-holy-land-grocery-attempts-to-mend-relationship-with-community-former-employees-speak-out/ https://sahanjournal.com/news/as-holy-land-grocery-attempts-... It discusses some of the significant problems they had with pay disparity and treatment of Black customers; racism occurs in the Muslim community as in others. Mounk indicates oh, American dream ruined because of spoiled daughter, while actual journalism exposes systematic pay disparities and unequal treatment of customers. Huh. I hope that Holy Land can repair relationships with the community, change its ways, and do better going forward! If it can do that, then this was in fact a net positive for our community. Don't know whether that argues for or against blogging anonymously.
  - kbenson 6y ago
    > Mounk indicates oh, American dream ruined because of spoiled daughter, while actual journalism exposes systematic pay disparities and unequal treatment of customers. Huh. Not to defend the article too much, but does that really matter (I would say it depends on the timeline)? Whether the person persecuted is eventually found to have some reasons why some persecution may have been justified, that does not justify the original persecution. All it does is make people feel better about their past actions, even if those actions were not justified. Punching a random person on the street is not justified because you later find out they are a horrible person. It may make you feel worse about punching the random person... but it really shouldn't.
    - kbenson 6y ago
      Ugh. s/It may make you feel worse/It may make you feel better/

ytrytr 6y ago

The sheer arrogance of thinking the people that disagree with your controversial topic are the "malicious, ignorant mobs". Hahaha, the irony here is funny.

a1369209993 6y ago
The sheer arrogance of thinking (some of) the people that agree with your controversial topic are not also "malicious, ignorant mobs".
- ytrytr 6y ago
  Where did I say or even indicate that?????