The lunatics are running the asylum: The extremes represent <10% at each end of the spectrum and are over-represented on social media

[grapedrink]

Great article a social psychology professor who is about as fairly balanced as it gets (admits to being left leaning):

Why the Past 10 Years of American Life Have Been Uniquely Stupid

It’s not just a phase.

www.theatlantic.com

TLDR; interesting take home points:
-The extreme left and extreme right make up less than 10% at each end of the spectrum and shout the loudest and most often
-Of the extremes, the demographic is overwhelming white and upper middle class+ FOR BOTH SIDES
-Domestic asshole trolls are around 2-3% but command outsized attention and are comingled with paid Russian trolls
-This leaves roughly 80% between the middle right and middle left who is sick of all the divisive crap but afraid to speak up for fear of getting slandered on social media and having that bleed into their actual lives
-The divide and stupidity accelerated with the advent of the like button and comment trees around 2009, which gave validation and allowed looser trolls to comment and troll the most famous/influential people in the world
-Content moderation is a losing strategy that will never work at scale; better to pressure the social media companies to change their algorithms to not favor trollish and inflammatory behavior and put some friction between sharing fake news articles mindlessly

Discuss

 

[kidfury]

Non-extreme issues:
gun control - moderates favor
abortion choice - moderates favor
universal healthcare - moderates favor

discuss

 

[hal9000]

Fine people. On both sides.


but to be serious for a minute, great points in the article. I have to read it twice more because I'm a dummy.

but......isn't extremism kind of a sliding scale? For example......what used to be in the deep fringes often gets brought to the mainstream and becomes very accepted......for example the Proudbois, Oathkeepers, 3%ers, the MAGAs......they all have a seat at the grownups table and are running the table.

 

[grapedrink]

Non-extreme issues:
gun control - moderates favor
abortion choice - moderates favor
universal healthcare - moderates favor

discuss

Agreed. Which is why arguing about whether we should refer to women as birthing persons or not is a complete waste of time. Use the bandwidth of your audience wisely

 

[kidfury]

Agreed. Which is why arguing about whether we should refer to women as birthing persons or not is a complete waste of time. Use the bandwidth of your audience wisely

Government influence on drug pricing would do a world of good.

 

[kidfury]

Non-extreme issues:
gun control - moderates favor
abortion choice - moderates favor
universal healthcare - moderates favor

discuss

the r wing extremists control the supreme court. discuss

 

[grapedrink]

Fine people. On both sides.


but to be serious for a minute, great points in the article. I have to read it twice more because I'm a dummy.

but......isn't extremism kind of a sliding scale? For example......what used to be in the deep fringes often gets brought to the mainstream and becomes very accepted......for example the Proudbois, Oathkeepers, 3%ers, the MAGAs......they all have a seat at the grownups table and are running the table.

The author covers this. Anyone who tries to reign in the extremes gets called a rightcuck or white supremacist, which allows the extremes to keep pushing the envelope unchecked.

 

[hammies]

Non-extreme issues:
gun control - moderates favor
abortion choice - moderates favor
universal healthcare - moderates favor

discuss

I like how you boiled down extremely complicated and difficult issues into 2 word phrases, and how you reduced an enormous range of what would typically be highly nuanced responses into "favor" (assuming the only other possible response is "oppose"). Nice linguistic gymnastics; our resident English professor would be proud.

 

[hammies]

Jon Haidt is a super interesting guy and has a lot of good insights on why America is fucking itself in the ass, socially. Worth watching some of his youtube videos.

 

[Lance Mannion]

Non-extreme issues:
gun control - moderates favor
abortion choice - moderates favor
universal healthcare - moderates favor

discuss

Moderate= Ignorant but generally well intentioned, they're essentially running in (what they at least perceive to be) the safest area- the middle of the herd.

This allows The Moderate to pretend like he knows something while not actually putting himself in a situation where he has to defend a position. This would be a problem because The Moderate does not in fact, know his ass from a hole in the ground.

Moderate=Poseur

 

[kidfury]

Moderate= Ignorant but generally well intentioned, they're essentially running in (what they at least perceive to be) the safest area- the middle of the herd.

This allows The Moderate to pretend like he knows something while not actually putting himself in a situation where he has to defend a position. This would be a problem because The Moderate does not in fact, know his ass from a hole in the ground.

Moderate=Poseur

Domestic asshole trolls are around 2-3% but command outsized attention and are comingled with paid Russian trolls

 

[Aruka]

Jon Haidt is a super interesting guy and has a lot of good insights on why America is fucking itself in the ass, socially. Worth watching some of his youtube videos.

I listened to two of his audiobooks this year and really enjoyed them. The Righteous Mind, especially.

 

[Lance Mannion]

Domestic asshole trolls are around 2-3% but command outsized attention and are comingled with paid Russian trolls

And then?

 

[hammies]

Moderate= Ignorant but generally well intentioned, they're essentially running in (what they at least perceive to be) the safest area- the middle of the herd.

This allows The Moderate to pretend like he knows something while not actually putting himself in a situation where he has to defend a position. This would be a problem because The Moderate does not in fact, know his ass from a hole in the ground.

Moderate=Poseur

Generally moderate people can see value in at least some of the arguments on both sides of any issue and try to come up with a complete understanding of what's going on.

Wingers just go to their combat corners and take a typically reflexive position on <insert divisive subject here>.

 

[Lance Mannion]

Generally moderate people can see value in at least some of the arguments on both sides of any issue and try to come up with a complete understanding of what's going on.

Wingers just go to their combat corners and take a typically reflexive position on <insert divisive subject here>.

I get what you're saying. I happen to know, and have known several people that fit my version of the "moderate"- that is, the poser version.

Either way, my typical response to someone who self identifies as a moderate is- "the middle of the herd is always safest place to be". It's a backhanded insult and doesn't always apply, but when it does, I get a kick out of it!

 

[Pico]

I think you should have tried to be clever with your Post Title. Less wordy.

 

[grapedrink]

I get what you're saying. I happen to know, and have known several people that fit my version of the "moderate"- that is, the poser version.

Either way, my typical response to someone who self identifies as a moderate is- "the middle of the herd is always safest place to be". It's a backhanded insult and doesn't always apply, but when it does, I get a kick out of it!

Very few “moderates” are purely neutral, the vast majority sway one way or another. It simply means that they are not systematic and tribal in how they feel about specific issues. For example they may be pro choice but also firearm owners.

 

[Swallow Tail]

Moderate= Ignorant but generally well intentioned, they're essentially running in (what they at least perceive to be) the safest area- the middle of the herd.

This allows The Moderate to pretend like he knows something while not actually putting himself in a situation where he has to defend a position. This would be a problem because The Moderate does not in fact, know his ass from a hole in the ground.

Moderate=Poseur

I just wanted to take the opportunity to congratulate you - Gromsdad liked your post.

 

[afoaf]

 

[Ifallalot]

Great article a social psychology professor who is about as fairly balanced as it gets (admits to being left leaning):

Why the Past 10 Years of American Life Have Been Uniquely Stupid

It’s not just a phase.

www.theatlantic.com

TLDR; interesting take home points:
-The extreme left and extreme right make up less than 10% at each end of the spectrum and shout the loudest and most often
-Of the extremes, the demographic is overwhelming white and upper middle class+ FOR BOTH SIDES
-Domestic asshole trolls are around 2-3% but command outsized attention and are comingled with paid Russian trolls
-This leaves roughly 80% between the middle right and middle left who is sick of all the divisive crap but afraid to speak up for fear of getting slandered on social media and having that bleed into their actual lives
-The divide and stupidity accelerated with the advent of the like button and comment trees around 2009, which gave validation and allowed looser trolls to comment and troll the most famous/influential people in the world
-Content moderation is a losing strategy that will never work at scale; better to pressure the social media companies to change their algorithms to not favor trollish and inflammatory behavior and put some friction between sharing fake news articles mindlessly

Discuss

WRONG THREAD