4 ms·

At times I wonder whether this stuff is a sort of “I’ve been bullied by this tactic in the past so I’m going to bully with this tactic now” psychological pathol

by ianai 4y ago

At times I wonder whether this stuff is a sort of “I’ve been bullied by this tactic in the past so I’m going to bully with this tactic now” psychological pathology. Society’s suffering from a lot of whataboutism, gaslighting, and authoritarianism. The internets made it so there aren’t many real islands of information isolation. Iran comes to mind. (Granted, North Korea kind of doesn’t.) The propaganda is clearly crossing national borders more easily than ever before now. So maybe we can’t have nice forums because the internet is a reflection of the world.

ceejayoz 4y ago
> At times I wonder whether this stuff is a sort of “I’ve been bullied by this tactic in the past so I’m going to bully with this tactic now” psychological pathology. There's a flip side to that, though. I've been guilty of XY problems in the past, and the experience of having them pointed out was illuminating; I learned both why not to do something and what the better way of accomplishing the goal was. That new knowledge is often widely applicable. It seems a bit goofy to go to a site, ask for help, and reject the assistance offered out of hand just because someone suggests you might be on the wrong track.