Error Correction Vs. Pleasant Social Spaces

[matt_arnold]

The different social rules that apply to different settings have occupied my thoughts for the past several days. It has been noticed that I tend to be much more gentle and conciliatory face-to-face than in the written word. One has gone to far as to describe my words as "socially feral." That would only be true if I had spoken the words while

Comments

[avt_tor]

This is fairly interesting as a convention report, but it does raise the question: what actually happened at ConClave that had you post this?

I always say that I only debate with people that I respect. :)

I do, however, tolerate a lot of eccentric behavior from fannish acquaintances, and I consider this a good thing. It's a very fine line between wierdness and creativity and I would not want to lose the latter.

[matt_arnold]

I was thinking of events on my Livejournal, which is an extension of fandom. It's the 21st-century fanzine. Nothing happened at ConClave that caused me to post this; if anything, the convention made me realize how seldom I see debates about religion and politics happen there, compared to on the internet. Panel discussions about it at previous conventions, including those with me as a panelist, were uniformly characterized by restraint and moderation.

[natashasikorsky]

Outside of guest panels where the conservative or judeo-christian viewpoint is imported, you won't find much political or religious debate in Michigan fandom because the conservative and judeo-christian viewpoint is very much under-represented

[matt_arnold]

I'm not sure how you are using the word "conservative." Opposition to sex and drugs and alternative lifestyles? Or tax breaks for the rich?

I understand how you feel unwelcome in a room full of people all in agreement that Christians are gullible. You probably should avoid those environments. At the same time, your Bible contains countless insults to good people, so I feel uncomfortable around people rude enough to believe the Bible. That's why I generally avoid them.

Which one of us is a minority, and in what context? Which one is beat up and abused by the other? Do you not see the perfect equivalence in your demand that I change my own viewpoint?

[natashasikorsky]

I'm not sure how you are using the word "conservative." Opposition to sex and drugs and alternative lifestyles? Or tax breaks for the rich?

Eating babies, actually. By conservatism I mean eating babies :-)

Do you not see the perfect equivalence in your demand that I change my own viewpoint?

I didn't demand or even suggest you change your viewpoint. I'll go on record as begging you not to change your viewpoint :-)

You were bemoaning the lack of political and religious debate and I offered the suggestion that there's nobody to debate. If it's debate you want you'll have to debate a viewpoint you've allowed into your social circle.

[matt_arnold]

You make a very good point. This is another reason that it would come as no surprise that my debates with conservative Christians are mostly concentrated on PCCboard.

However, the subculture of fantasy fans is chock full of a loosely associated memetic cluster of neopaganism, relativism, distrust of science and technology, magical thinking, and a desire to turn back the clock of history to a more idyllic pastoral time. Sometimes that is barely any less annoying than the things I didn't like about church.