3 ms·

Yeah seriously. This guy just lauded the internet as a bastion of debate, and then in the same breath bemoaned the fact that the dirty proles get to talk back.

by lutze 14y ago

Yeah seriously. This guy just lauded the internet as a bastion of debate, and then in the same breath bemoaned the fact that the dirty proles get to talk back. It's not a "debate" if other people don't get a say, it's propaganda...

jasonlotito 14y ago
He's not referring to debates as being the problem. Quite the contrary: "In the civil group, those who initially did or did not support the technology — whom we identified with preliminary survey questions — continued to feel the same way after reading the comments." Civility does not mean blindly agreeing. It means just that: acting civil. However, what he does argue against is rudeness and insults. Essentially, not debating, but slinging mud. "Simply including an ad hominem attack in a reader comment was enough to make study participants think the downside of the reported technology was greater than they’d previously thought." Simply put, you can act civil even if you disagree. This does provide value. However, when that civility is removed, the results are polarizing. If you can't see the benefits of civil debate, you are an idiot.
- friendly_chap 14y ago
  Your last sentence ruined it, seriously.
  - deleted 14y ago
    [deleted]
  - venus 14y ago
    Yes, it did. Think about it again...
  - jasonlotito 14y ago
    Actually, I want to thank you. For making my point, better than I can. Whether you are being serious, or you understood what I was trying to say, that you said what you said proves my point. Just to be clear, I did not really mean this: "If you can't see the benefits of civil debate, you are an idiot." It was intended to have a tone completely different from the rest of the comment. And so, despite the rest of the comment being sound, this one sentence caused a rift. So, I did not add it to insult. I added it to make a point, and you highlighted that point so much better than you realized.
    - friendly_chap 14y ago
      Haha, nice one! We agree about civility.
    - lutze 14y ago
      I don't necessarily disagree with you, it's a good point well made (it also made me laugh). That being said, if you can't handle being called an idiot on the internet, you unfortunately probably are an idiot (on the internet).
      - jasonlotito 14y ago
        That's completely beside the point though, and not the issue at all.

by lutze 14y ago

jasonlotito 14y ago

He's not referring to debates as being the problem. Quite the contrary: "In the civil group, those who initially did or did not support the technology — whom we identified with preliminary survey questions — continued to feel the same way after reading the comments." Civility does not mean blindly agreeing. It means just that: acting civil. However, what he does argue against is rudeness and insults. Essentially, not debating, but slinging mud. "Simply including an ad hominem attack in a reader comment was enough to make study participants think the downside of the reported technology was greater than they’d previously thought." Simply put, you can act civil even if you disagree. This does provide value. However, when that civility is removed, the results are polarizing. If you can't see the benefits of civil debate, you are an idiot.

friendly_chap 14y ago
Your last sentence ruined it, seriously.
- deleted 14y ago
  [deleted]
- venus 14y ago
  Yes, it did. Think about it again...
- jasonlotito 14y ago
  Actually, I want to thank you. For making my point, better than I can. Whether you are being serious, or you understood what I was trying to say, that you said what you said proves my point. Just to be clear, I did not really mean this: "If you can't see the benefits of civil debate, you are an idiot." It was intended to have a tone completely different from the rest of the comment. And so, despite the rest of the comment being sound, this one sentence caused a rift. So, I did not add it to insult. I added it to make a point, and you highlighted that point so much better than you realized.
  - friendly_chap 14y ago
    Haha, nice one! We agree about civility.
  - lutze 14y ago
    I don't necessarily disagree with you, it's a good point well made (it also made me laugh). That being said, if you can't handle being called an idiot on the internet, you unfortunately probably are an idiot (on the internet).
    - jasonlotito 14y ago
      That's completely beside the point though, and not the issue at all.