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This weekly thread will focus on debate, discussion, and the lack thereof on social media (including Lemmy).

My apologies for “leading” a bit more than I try to normally in these weekly threads, however this is a topic that pisses me off in particular. Not only as a mod of a discussion-based community, but as someone who loves it when someone challenges me and proves me wrong / disproves my logic so I’d very much like to hear outside opinions on the topic. I can’t even partially understand how people don’t want to have a more cohesive / logically sound opinion.

Some Starters (and don’t feel you have to speak on all or any of them if you don’t care to):

  • Do you feel that discussion is worse now? If so, what caused it? If not, where may others get this feeling from?
  • Is it potentially a platform issue, or does it happen everywhere?
  • Does discussion even matter any longer? Why or why not?
  • Do you feel that more could be done to encourage discussion with outside views or are we better off just “bubble”-ing ourselves and blocking everyone we disagree with?
  • 🇨🇦🇩🇪🇨🇳张殿李🇨🇳🇩🇪🇨🇦@ttrpg.networkMEnglish
    3·
    2 months ago

    There’s two reasons for this:

    1. People are bad at discussion because we’re not taught proper rhetoric any longer. The human brain is a fantastic pattern matcher, but logic, reasoned debate, etc. are patterns it has to learn to be able to replicate. Of course there’s a reason we’re not taught this. Teachers would have to tolerate children calling them on their bullshit and teachers tend to be control freaks who can’t stand children “talking back”. As would bosses, politicians, et al. It is not in the interests of those in power to have a populace that understands rhetoric and debate.

    2. Years of people arguing in bad faith makes loads of people (myself included) assume that someone who “just wants debate” is in reality a troll looking for trouble. Trauma is a thing and leads to maladaptive behaviour where its reflexes don’t apply.