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I upvoted you. I'm not disagreeing with the OP in regards to the bullies. But you find them everywhere, saying they're the turn off for certain ideas while bei
by dethstar 12y ago
I upvoted you. I'm not disagreeing with the OP in regards to the bullies. But you find them everywhere, saying they're the turn off for certain ideas while being on the opposite spectrum of the discussion, which also has bullies, doesnt make much sense.
Basically, if what you agree with is decided by who expresses their ideas in a quieter way, you'd probably agree with nothing.
- Kalium 12y agoOne of the more important parts of Chait's article is that when bullies dominate discourse, you no longer have discourse at all. You get enforced conformity and running games of one-upsmanship. I'm not suggesting that bullies make ideas poisonous. I'm saying that bullies poison discourse and shut off conversations. They don't so much drive people to other ideas as they do drive people away from engaging entirely. Especially when they do things like staking out the position that there is no reasonable room for disagreeing with them.
- im3w1l 12y agoSome people are more bullies than ideologues. One girl I know has scolded me both because I am not manly enough and because I'm not feminist enough. Fortunately, she hasn't the social status with our mutual friends to make my life miserable.