4 ms·

what is itchy trigger finger, though, if not a yearning to express power?

• cryptoquick 6y ago
  It's a reaction to fear. In this case, an overreaction. People are afraid to say the wrong thing. People are afraid of having once said a wrong thing, to potentially sully their legacy or impact their career like a ticking time bomb. Or even be peripherally responsible for harboring someone who once said a wrong thing. This social movement towards accountability has created a sense of paranoia and friendly-fire, and it's not healthy for anyone.
• andrewflnr 6y ago
  An allergy. No, really, you can get a lot of mileage from thinking of cultural reactions to ideas as immune reactions. Some ideas we actually need to attack and destroy (any falsehood, certain proven-toxic ideologies), some just look too much like pathogens and get attacked anyway.
  • AnthonyMouse 6y ago
    > An allergy. Or to put it another way, an autoimmune disease.
  • euske 6y ago
    Man, this is such an excellent analogy. Well done!