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> I tried to teach critical thinking to random people on Twitter, but as you imagine this was a fools errand. Only because we're effectively alone in the respo

> I tried to teach critical thinking to random people on Twitter, but as you imagine this was a fools errand. Only because we're effectively alone in the responsibility. Hint: lack of research isn't limited to Twitter, folks. It's in your pub, your break room, etc

airhead969 5y ago
Yup. I think, as others like Chris Hedges have noted, individuals in Western society have become increasingly atomized and isolated, likely by design to sell more products and keep people feeling powerless/helpless: we're so close (in physical and online proximity), but so far (ideologically, wisdom, knowledge, and experience). Instead of lionizing celebrities, money, infamy, or hyper individualism, maybe it would be worth respecting wisdom, mastery, expertise, monetary-agonistic accomplishment, and insightfulness. The book The Mirror Effect by Dr. Drew comes to mind.
- nineplay 5y ago
  > Instead of lionizing celebrities, money, infamy, or hyper individualism, maybe it would be worth respecting wisdom, mastery, expertise, monetary-agonistic accomplishment, and insightfulness. I wonder if that's ever happened in the history of humanity. I have my doubts.
  - airhead969 5y ago
    I also wonder, but perhaps some of these may approximate more "utopianish" collective community integration: - Genuine hippie communes (Do kibbutzes count?) - Amish - Indigenous tribes where elders are respected - Rural/suburban Minnesotans because they tend towards hardy dealing with life and climate struggles and unimpressed by immodesty - In the old days (80's/90's), my grandparents knew most of their neighbors, grocery store cashiers, butcher, hair stylist, and a number of other people well. What ever happened to that? I don't even know any of the neighbors in my apartment complex despite introducing myself, and one (Louis Vuitton-strutting cliché) woman neighbor next door won't even acknowledge my presence with pleasantries in passing. WTH.
- nomdep 5y ago
  I don’t think individualism is the defining characteristic of most twitters, they tend to herd mentality
II2II 5y ago
Yet there are many differences between the folk spreading information online and the folks you encounter in the pub: the former will often posture themselves as an authority, while the latter you may know well enough to trust or distrust their authority on a particular topic. When people seek authority online, they are typically seeking someone who they agree with. While authority may be found in a pub, it is not really a place where one seeks it. All of this makes educating people in venues like Twitter (and some of these exist outside of the online world) a very difficult prospect.
- MonaroVXR 5y ago
  I tried this and was burned. Learned enough.

airhead969 5y ago

Yup. I think, as others like Chris Hedges have noted, individuals in Western society have become increasingly atomized and isolated, likely by design to sell more products and keep people feeling powerless/helpless: we're so close (in physical and online proximity), but so far (ideologically, wisdom, knowledge, and experience). Instead of lionizing celebrities, money, infamy, or hyper individualism, maybe it would be worth respecting wisdom, mastery, expertise, monetary-agonistic accomplishment, and insightfulness. The book The Mirror Effect by Dr. Drew comes to mind.

nineplay 5y ago
> Instead of lionizing celebrities, money, infamy, or hyper individualism, maybe it would be worth respecting wisdom, mastery, expertise, monetary-agonistic accomplishment, and insightfulness. I wonder if that's ever happened in the history of humanity. I have my doubts.
- airhead969 5y ago
  I also wonder, but perhaps some of these may approximate more "utopianish" collective community integration: - Genuine hippie communes (Do kibbutzes count?) - Amish - Indigenous tribes where elders are respected - Rural/suburban Minnesotans because they tend towards hardy dealing with life and climate struggles and unimpressed by immodesty - In the old days (80's/90's), my grandparents knew most of their neighbors, grocery store cashiers, butcher, hair stylist, and a number of other people well. What ever happened to that? I don't even know any of the neighbors in my apartment complex despite introducing myself, and one (Louis Vuitton-strutting cliché) woman neighbor next door won't even acknowledge my presence with pleasantries in passing. WTH.
nomdep 5y ago
I don’t think individualism is the defining characteristic of most twitters, they tend to herd mentality

II2II 5y ago

Yet there are many differences between the folk spreading information online and the folks you encounter in the pub: the former will often posture themselves as an authority, while the latter you may know well enough to trust or distrust their authority on a particular topic. When people seek authority online, they are typically seeking someone who they agree with. While authority may be found in a pub, it is not really a place where one seeks it. All of this makes educating people in venues like Twitter (and some of these exist outside of the online world) a very difficult prospect.

MonaroVXR 5y ago
I tried this and was burned. Learned enough.