My #1 Moral Issue
It seems to me that morality has been dumbed down to a few political issues in recent years while, in the meantime, the most important part of it has been lost: It's all about how you treat other people
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Beyond stressful. There's a reason why I no longer participate in much political/religious discussion on forums outside of LiveJournal. I'm comfortable here because people (at least those I've surrounded myself with) can communicate with decency, clarity, and courtesy. Elsewhere, debates were brutal and vicious, especially on religious matters. Would you believe that on one orthodox Christian forum, I was widely condemned as a heretic for adhering to the doctrine of amillennialism despite the fact that until the last hundred years, it has been the dominant doctrine in the church relating to the study of the course of human history and the Apocalypse?
'Unfortunately, I think a lot of people are only listening to people who think like them.'
People like to be patted on the back and told they're right. They also like to hear about how "stupid" and "uninformed" the other side is. I think people from all corners of the political spectrum are guilty of this.
And I've learnt that you just don't touch sexuality with a fifty foot barge pole. No-one wants to hear that what they are doing is wrong or that something they believe to be wrong is right (regardless of the reality). I've been called a blasphemer by the fundamentalists and intolerant by the far left. You just can't win sometimes.
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I can't tell you how many times I've heard this from other people and is the true for me as well. It's sad really. Political/religious discussions shouldn't be left only for the shouters and the screamers.
People like to be patted on the back and told they're right. They also like to hear about how "stupid" and "uninformed" the other side is. I think people from all corners of the political spectrum are guilty of this.
I think there is a place for this. It's okay to discuss things with like-minded people where you don't continually defend yourself or be re-explaining your assumptions. But it shouldn't be the only opinions one listens to. And don't assume people are stupid or uniformed just because they disagree with you.
No-one wants to hear that what they are doing is wrong or that something they believe to be wrong is right (regardless of the reality).
Very true. Nobody does, even ourselves. You're rarely going to get someone to change their opinion on a moment's notice, even if you have all the facts and logic on your side. All you can do is speak the truth as clearly and humbly as you can and hope, if you're right, to plant a seed of doubt that will someday grow into something. Unfortunately those seeds don't always take root.
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Definitely not. I think part of the problem is the anonymity of an online forum. LiveJournal's much different, in that it's your own personal journal, and it thus has a greater measure of personal accountability. People are less likely to behave offensively here, or if two people do come to metaphoric blows, they can simply defriend each other and move on, whereas such a scenario is simply impossible on a forum short of banning either or both members.
'It's okay to discuss things with like-minded people where you don't continually defend yourself or be re-explaining your assumptions. But it shouldn't be the only opinions one listens to. And don't assume people are stupid or uniformed just because they disagree with you.'
Exactly. It can be very beneficial to sit down with people who share your opinions/beliefs, especially when they provide new perspectives or additional insight. I just hate to sit down with a group of people only to hear them prattle on about how hopelessly misguided the 'opposing side' is.
'You're rarely going to get someone to change their opinion on a moment's notice, even if you have all the facts and logic on your side. All you can do is speak the truth as clearly and humbly as you can and hope, if you're right, to plant a seed of doubt that will someday grow into something.'
Well said. And it seems people are often least likely to change their opinion when arguing with a seemingly anonymous person online, particularly when they have a wealth of links at their disposal to back up their opinion. The links could be completely wrong, but the person's quite happy to let them verify their position against this faceless attacker (I know I've been guilty of that in the past).
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