I've watched people establish norms in their communities and organizations. I've done some of it myself. Here's what I have seen work: Never leave, never shut up for long, keep questioning yourself and looking at the viewpoint of others, and make sure to contribute. The first person to take their ball and go home loses. Those who remain define the
(
Read more... )
Comments 15
Crap. I'm going to have to start going to atheist conferences now, aren't I?
Reply
You're not changing the world here...you're just pushing your way to the front of the room and shouting louder than anyone else. If people disagree with you, but don't feel like fighting with you about it, they're likely to just leave. While you might call that a victory by default, it's a Pyrrhic victory if you end up defining a community that only contains yourself and a few others who had similar beliefs to begin with, while everyone else goes and makes a new club without you.
Effecting real change is much harder than that. Real change requires changing others' opinions, not just browbeating them into silence. To change opinions, you have to get people to respect you and your views enough that they'll listen with an open mind. And often, the more forcefully you present your views, the less open-minded those listening become.
Reply
Reply
Reply
Reply
(The comment has been removed)
Reply
If it's something I'm only half-heartedly interested in, there's no reason for me to stay and fight to change the internal culture. I've left many online groups for just this reason - I felt the stress over arguments or flame wars or the condescension I received as a newbie were such large drawbacks that they overcame any benefit I got from being in that space.
*goes off to ponder some more*
Reply
I've been trying to decide what to do about someone who feels like a troll invading a community I've been a part of for a few years. I've been operating on the idea that if I just ignore him, and convince others to ignore him, he might go away. This doesn't seem to be happening. Worse, since this misguided misanthrope is posting more often, the community is becoming defined by his rantings.
I think I will take your advice to heart and work on taking the community back from the twerps and trolls. Thanks for the pep talk.
Oh, and good luck to the atheist feminists, too.
Reply
Leave a comment