4 ms·
Probably largely the same everybody else is holding.
by StavrosK 6y ago
Probably largely the same everybody else is holding.
- H8crilA 6y agoWhy don't you say it? /s
- StavrosK 6y agoI do see your /s, but I'll answer anyway: I've decided that US cultural problems were a source of stress for no payoff, which I didn't need. I used to be much more involved until I realized I live a world away from the US and the societal problems don't affect me much (and I also realized that I didn't identify as black, white or any of the race options on the census), plus there are much more pressing problems at home. As you can see from the fact that I commented in this thread, I don't always succeed :P
- neoplatonian 6y agoIt is pretty clear, if you read Paul Graham's twitter feed, what is it that he wants to say but feels he cannot say. I see where his point of view completely, but having not seen the the other side of privilege: the very real and lived experiences and feelings where cancel culture stems from, I feel this is an issue where he is totally blindsighted. The problem in the US currently, I feel, is not cancel culture per se, but widespread and ever growing narcissism which makes one less questioning about their fundamental worldview than one should be. Paul Graham is somewhat a victim of this himself. For example, the assumption behind this very essay is that there is such a thing as a rigid, singular concept of "truth" in the moral, cultural and political sphere, that there is a "fact of the matter" whether a belief (say one PG holds) is correct or not. Or that that we live in a static world where such truths can even exist, and not, in a fluid, dynamic, politically messy world where contrasting viewpoints interact and produce something not something ever lasting, but something which is fragile and must always be fought for, this fight being a necessary feature for a functioning democracy.
- StavrosK 6y agoBut it's kind of moot what he, specifically, wants to say, no? Shouldn't we instead try to work towards a society where no opinion is taboo? It seems to me that the biggest reason why some opinions are taboo is that we're worried (usually for good reason) they'll find supporters. Instead of making opinions taboo, we should work on an educational system that doesn't let harmful opinions take hold of people.
- gjulianm 6y ago> Shouldn't we instead try to work towards a society where no opinion is taboo? There will always be taboo opinions. For example, I can't imagine a civilized society where an opinion like "capital punishment for every minor fault is ok" is not taboo. > Instead of making opinions taboo, we should work on an educational system that doesn't let harmful opinions take hold of people. How? I think the problem is that this is impossible at all. Not every opinion is based on reason and education will not be a shield from them.
- StavrosK 6y ago> I can't imagine a civilized society where an opinion like "capital punishment for every minor fault is ok" is not taboo. This one isn't. Here, I can say "there should be capital punishment for every minor fault!" and nobody will bat an eyelid. Nobody will agree, which is why it's okay to say this. "Taboo" means "opinions you can't talk about", not "opinions that won't be popular". Many taboo opinions are extremely popular, such as "homosexuality shouldn't be a crime" a few decades ago.