5 ms·

Hear me out on this because the first sentence sounds crazy but I’m not condoning what these people did. What came to mind when I read this news about Capitol

Hear me out on this because the first sentence sounds crazy but I’m not condoning what these people did. What came to mind when I read this news about Capitol Hill was the famous MLK quote “A riot is the language of the unheard.” Along with the thought that these a mostly middle class white people no doubt. Which are overall a privileged group. So I got to thinking about what it means to be heard in today’s world. I think that for a lot of conservatives in a digital world it can feel like their voice or the voice of people with their beliefs aren’t heard. Certainly you can find little echo chambers of conservatism, but when you go to the big news sites, the front page of Reddit, or Twitter it sure looks like everyone leans left. Couple this with the leader of your movement getting little notes on all his tweets to at what he says isn’t true or getting removed. I can see how it feels like your worldview is getting silenced, hence a riot. So I wonder if these movements by Twitter are ultimately counter productive. Just a half baked idea, but some food for thought.

dionian 6y ago
Censoring speech is just going to alienate a huge section of the country rather than provide transparency and a common dialogue We aren't - well, I used to say we weren't - like Communist China, because our ideas could compete in a marketplace of ideas and win out on their merits. Sadly, strong political rhetoric is causing our own media companies to self-censor and in non-transparent ways.
Spellman 6y ago
They certainly feel like a disparaged minority that is perpetually disparaged and attacked. The only problem is that in general most people... aren't attacking them. This persecution complex is almost completely manufactured. Best example? The War on Christmas. Almost completely fabricated on the evidence. But people feel like they are being pushed to the margins, and there are several leaders fanning these feelings. And that's not to say there aren't real issues. The middle class is shrinking! Whites are not the majority, just a plurality. The manufacturing world is gutted. The opioid crisis has reversed the upward trend of life expectancy! But then what do they blame? Feminists. Liberals. Immigrants. Not the actual problems. And being marginalized has more to do with as a bloc them removing themselves from a shared worldview and facts and increasingly becoming more and more unhinged by conspiracy theory thinking.
- minkzilla 6y ago
  I think our whole culture has developed a massive victim complex in recent years. It seems like every group is trying to point to how they are oppressed (some more rightfully than others) and almost glorifying it in this weird way I can’t quite put a finger on.
  - rrdharan 6y ago
    Feeling victimized is addictive. Everyone loves it once they get a taste.
  - DenisM 6y ago
    Interestingly, Christianity started out this way too. I was thinking the other day, perhaps accepting the role of a victim allows one to submit to the collective thus allowing a victim society to win against an individualist society. I also note that military is an interesting mixture of the individualist bravery and the honor of service (non-victimized way of relinquishing control).

dionian 6y ago

Censoring speech is just going to alienate a huge section of the country rather than provide transparency and a common dialogue We aren't - well, I used to say we weren't - like Communist China, because our ideas could compete in a marketplace of ideas and win out on their merits. Sadly, strong political rhetoric is causing our own media companies to self-censor and in non-transparent ways.

Spellman 6y ago

They certainly feel like a disparaged minority that is perpetually disparaged and attacked. The only problem is that in general most people... aren't attacking them. This persecution complex is almost completely manufactured. Best example? The War on Christmas. Almost completely fabricated on the evidence. But people feel like they are being pushed to the margins, and there are several leaders fanning these feelings. And that's not to say there aren't real issues. The middle class is shrinking! Whites are not the majority, just a plurality. The manufacturing world is gutted. The opioid crisis has reversed the upward trend of life expectancy! But then what do they blame? Feminists. Liberals. Immigrants. Not the actual problems. And being marginalized has more to do with as a bloc them removing themselves from a shared worldview and facts and increasingly becoming more and more unhinged by conspiracy theory thinking.

minkzilla 6y ago
I think our whole culture has developed a massive victim complex in recent years. It seems like every group is trying to point to how they are oppressed (some more rightfully than others) and almost glorifying it in this weird way I can’t quite put a finger on.
- rrdharan 6y ago
  Feeling victimized is addictive. Everyone loves it once they get a taste.
- DenisM 6y ago
  Interestingly, Christianity started out this way too. I was thinking the other day, perhaps accepting the role of a victim allows one to submit to the collective thus allowing a victim society to win against an individualist society. I also note that military is an interesting mixture of the individualist bravery and the honor of service (non-victimized way of relinquishing control).