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If the cautious stay silent for fear of the careless, then they cede a monopoly on speech to the careless. Aka, the remedy for bad discussion is more discussion
by brownbat 14y ago
If the cautious stay silent for fear of the careless, then they cede a monopoly on speech to the careless. Aka, the remedy for bad discussion is more discussion, not less.
Some may argue against this. Some may use the internet to claim that internet discussions are harmful, but not without a certain degree of inconsistency between their words and their actions.
A natural response might be, "Yes, but I'm RIGHT, of course I should speak..." but the trouble is, no one knows whether they're right or not without submitting their ideas to the crowd for a full and proper vetting.
- yew 14y agoNo one knows whether they're right or not after submitting their ideas to the crowd for a full and proper vetting, either. 'The crowd' is not a substitute for experimentation and investigation. Noticing that someone looks suspicious in a picture and reporting it to the proper authorities (preferably a division thereof known for evenhandedness) so that they can look at all sides of the issue is reasonable. Someone has to handle crimes, and whoever that someone is will always be human. Noticing that someone looks suspicious and posting their picture on Facebook with an accusatory tagline is entirely indefensible. It's bad enough when their are no proper authorities.