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Edited on Sun Mar-16-08 12:49 PM by Bonobo
I have come to the conclusion that echo-chambers like this are a terrible place to try to advocate for a complex position on ANY divisive issue.
Generally, it is not conducive to long, nuanced communication because of many limiting factors; Like TV in some respects. Invariably, short messages packed with inflammatory, inflexible attacks grab more attention than long, deep-thought attempts at reaching out to the other side in an attempt at reaching a resolution or consensus. Furthermore, it is horrible for communicating emotions and feelings! Most of us involuntarily lump the posters here into our own pre-constructed "archetypes" and always take the WORST interpretation of what they say in an attempt to "win" the argument rather than trying to understand and breach the gap.
It's sad. It's also inevitable in this format, I think. People get together. They want to be nice, they say..."Nice weather" for a while. Then they get bored and start bitching about someone. Human/Primate nature, I think.
But still, it's good to be aware of and to remember again from time to time.
Echo-chambers and ear-muffs.
The loudest are often the most ignorant, while the real thinkers and doers just lurk and read -their very existence unmarked in "INTERNETLAND" where only the loudest (or rarely, the most eloquent writers with time on their hands) are heard and acknowledged.
Ironically, we both overestimate and underestimate the importance and significance of a place like DU.
Many think it reflects the reality of what is going on in the outside world. They may say "Hillary supporters are so obnoxious and full of themselves that I have decided that there is something wrong with Hillary" or "Obama is really hurt by this Wright thing because he sounds defensive", etc.
Others here think that DU affects the outer culture as a part of the media. I.E. People read DU on the internet and are influenced in how they vote.
In truth though, this kind of echo chamber merely hardens our positions by providing us with the kind of ammunition or "proof" to justify positions we already hold due to our preconceptions.
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