Moon v. Wiscon Follow-up

[jimhines]

I’m still sorting through my feelings on Wiscon rescinding Elizabeth Moon’s Guest of Honor invitation.

It’s not the first time something like this has happened.  William Sanders’ GoH invitation to ICFA in 2008 was rescinded after his “sheet head” rejection letter, for example.  (Thanks to Nick Mamatas for that historical pointer.)

Basically, I

Comments

[sixteenbynine]

I think Wiscon was essentially trading one bad situation for another, with the understanding that to invite Moon as a guest and have both other guests and possibly her feel uncomfortable because of that would have been counterproductive.

I know a great many people who hold opinions I find unpalatable. Some of those views are not, strictly speaking, mistaken, because they don't revolve around the misinterpretation of facts. They're just shallow and foolish, and generally not very dangerous, and the way I see it everyone is entitled to believe a few dumb things.

Some of them are gravely misinformed, and I do what I can within the context of being one person who can only be taken so seriously to correct those mistaken views.

And sometimes I run into a brick wall. This was the case with an industry acquaintance who had a very strident anti-abortion stance that came (I guess) out of his conversion to Catholicism. I eventually quit speaking to him -- not because he held this opinion, but because of the way he talked about it, and the way he talked about most anything relating to religion or belief generally. He talked like a proselytizer, and I increasingly felt like any conversation we could have on the subject was going to be conducted -- pardon the term -- in bad faith. So I shut up.

Here's my point: It is entirely possible to express a dissenting opinion and sound diplomatic at the same time. It's just that most people who have a dissenting opinion don't try to sound diplomatic, because they assume the dissent is all that's needed to justify their position. Maybe it is. But it's a lousy way to get other people to listen and take you seriously.

[jimhines]

"It is entirely possible to express a dissenting opinion and sound diplomatic at the same time. It's just that most people who have a dissenting opinion don't try to sound diplomatic, because they assume the dissent is all that's needed to justify their position. Maybe it is. But it's a lousy way to get other people to listen and take you seriously."

I disagree, and I think you're a poophead for even trying to raise this point.

Sorry -- too many comments, and the brain is starting to get a little goofy...

But yeah. I have no problem talking to people I disagree with. I actively try to make sure I'm reading blogs from people who have opposing views to my own. But when it reaches the point of dismissing all who disagree as mindless idiots, then that's the point where I question whether there's any reason to keep reading.

[sixteenbynine]

From what I've seen it is very difficult to find blogs where people dissent gracefully. Most of the time the dissent is in the form of stubborn contrarianism.

That's why I hang out here! :D

[cathshaffer]

Were you talking with him, or interacting via internet/LJ? I see a big difference in the kind of interactions we can have on the internet vs what is acceptable in a face-to-face situation. There is no way a person could get away with proselytizing or belaboring their views about abortion in mixed company (people of widely different views), but people somehow have an expectation that the internet is their "safe place" to air all of their opinions and beliefs. Kind of crazy. I think that may be the heart of what is wrong with many of these "conversations." They are not really "conversations," and stuff happens in them that would never, ever fly at an in-person debate. (And it goes on much longer.)

[sixteenbynine]

This was an online interaction, but from talking to other people who know him IRL he apparently does this whenever he has a free forum to do so. I can't vouch for that personally, but it squares with what I've seen.

[cathshaffer]

Well, some people....yeah.