“we should be able to ban furries!!!!!1!” wrong! kill the part of you that cringes
comments (single view)
Sure, it’s a problem, but ignoring dissenting opinions is an equally large problem (imo).
Do some research into the “spiral of silence” theory. The gist of it is that opinions that are not expressed as much publicly tend to become less and less expressed, and those that are expressed a lot publicly tend to become more prevalent. This spiral leads to some opinions becoming “dominant” even when the actual number of people having those opinions is the same. Thus, it’s pretty important to keep dissenting opinions alive, or else those who have those opinions will be afraid to speak out in fear of social isolation (and the expression of the opinion will become more and more scarce).
there is a difference between “hm, i don’t like linux, i prefer windows” and “furries are fucking cringe i hate them”. one should be encouraged, and the other one should be considered critically so that the base reason the view is held can be found.
Well, it’s worth considering how these two examples differ in the severity of the opinion being expressed. It does not necessarily appear to be a problem with the opinion itself, but the way it’s being communicated. The first example is communicated politely while the second one is mean-spirited.
What if we switched their degrees around, though?:
“Linux users are fucking cringe and I hate them”
“I don’t like furries, I prefer non-furries”
The orders are reversed and the way they’re interpreted gets reversed, too. When we phrase it this way, the second example appears a lot less intimidating, even though the actual opinion remains the same. In contrast, the first example—which was once a polite expression of a preference—is a lot more unpleasant and offensive.