The "I Didn't Comment in Another Thread" Thread

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I find that simply calling things "bad faith" is an over-simplification that gets in the way of understanding the reality of human behavior.

Like, is it really "bad faith", or is it that they are conceptually so stuck on or enamored of this one idea that it is their hammer, such that everything else becomes a nail?

Is it really "bad faith" or is it that they are somewhere on the spectrum, such that they have more challenges than most in sussing out subtext in written word?

Or is it really "bad faith" or did you (generic, not you CNN specifically) actually not do nearly as good a job explaining yourself as you think you did? (This one is waaaay more common than most want to accept).

Etc.

I think this is useful to keep in mind. While I have occasionally met people who proved to be truly acting in bad faith, the number is small compared to the number of folks who were just operating in a completely different, or much more narrow, view of things than me. People get stuck in logical ruts, and emotionally tethered to one particular idea or explanation as you point out. Also text as a medium is ripe for misunderstanding, especially tone.
 

I think this is useful to keep in mind. While I have occasionally met people who proved to be truly acting in bad faith, the number is small compared to the number of folks who were just operating in a completely different, or much more narrow, view of things than me. People get stuck in logical ruts, and emotionally tethered to one particular idea or explanation as you point out. Also text as a medium is ripe for misunderstanding, especially tone.
There's also Hanlon's Razor to be considered.
 

There's also Hanlon's Razor to be considered.

That is a good point. I wouldn't even go that far. I think we greatly overestimate the stupidity of people we are debating with in the gaming community. Smart people can also be extremely wrong, can be ignorant of important details, and can get just as emotionally stuck on an idea as stupid people.
 


In recent decades I’ve found too many cases of both ignorance and stupidity induced and sustained by malice. It’s very convenient for many malicious people to have individual and institutional stupidity handy.
That tends to be based in tribalism, so I think we need a new "razor" to address it.
 



How about Harlan's Razor?

“No, schmuck, you’re not entitled to your opinion. You’re entitled to your informed opinion. Without information it’s just babble, hot air, and farts in the wind!” ―Harlan Ellison
 

How about Harlan's Razor?

“No, schmuck, you’re not entitled to your opinion. You’re entitled to your informed opinion. Without information it’s just babble, hot air, and farts in the wind!” ―Harlan Ellison
"An naughty word who wrote like a dream." I wish Weird Tales had let that description of him go to print ... :LOL:
 

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