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The inescapable rise of moral superiority

thewalrus.ca

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Re: The inescapable rise of moral superiority

#11

Post by im3w1l »

ddq wrote: post #2

Loved the last paragraph, always good to end with ideas for positive action. >As cathartic as venting one’s outrage can be in the moment, it’s clear that moral grandstanding accomplishes very little beyond the fleeting satisfaction that it brings. Shaming people doesn’t seem to change their behaviour, and invoking mass shooting victims in an argument about hamburgers doesn’t move the needle on gun control. Social cha…

> Social change doesn’t come from posting

I have to disagree with this. Change happens because people want change. And they want change because they have been convinced of its benefits. Posting plays a role here.

Re: The inescapable rise of moral superiority

#13

Post by simplify »

colechristensen wrote: post #8

People blamed organized religion for this kind of thing but it’s pretty clear theology not required. The spectrum of pepperpots to moral crusaders is quite present with no religion at all. Quite possibly worse than before. At least your organized religions tended to have a nontrivial portion of their teachings about being generally nice to each other.

"God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble." – James 4:6, 1Peter 5:5, and many such instances throughout the bible.

Re: The inescapable rise of moral superiority

#15

Post by lapcat »

I think the issue goes beyond moral grandstanding. If you read Hacker News, for example, you see plenty of technical grandstanding every day.

I think we humans are simply unprepared for interacting with random strangers online. Our monkey brains did not evolve for that. In most social situations, our opinions are tempered by knowing the other person, or at least being in the same room with them. It's rare that you would say the same thing face-to-face with another person that you would say to them online.

Online, it's often a show where you're playing to an audience, instead of having a one-on-one conversation with another person. You're not actually talking to the person you're talking about. The incentives are to act, to create drama.

Re: The inescapable rise of moral superiority

#16

Post by nicechianti »

ddq wrote: post #2

Loved the last paragraph, always good to end with ideas for positive action. >As cathartic as venting one’s outrage can be in the moment, it’s clear that moral grandstanding accomplishes very little beyond the fleeting satisfaction that it brings. Shaming people doesn’t seem to change their behaviour, and invoking mass shooting victims in an argument about hamburgers doesn’t move the needle on gun control. Social cha…

[dead]

Re: The inescapable rise of moral superiority

#17

Post by lapcat »

im3w1l wrote: post #11
ddq wrote: post #2

Loved the last paragraph, always good to end with ideas for positive action. >As cathartic as venting one’s outrage can be in the moment, it’s clear that moral grandstanding accomplishes very little beyond the fleeting satisfaction that it brings. Shaming people doesn’t seem to change their behaviour, and invoking mass shooting victims in an argument about hamburgers doesn’t move the needle on gun control. Social cha…

> Social change doesn’t come from posting I have to disagree with this. Change happens because people want change. And they want change because they have been convinced of its benefits. Posting plays a role here.

> Posting plays a role here.

Posting in sound bites?

I've read books that have influenced me. But tweets? Not really.

Re: The inescapable rise of moral superiority

#18

Post by JohnFen »

coolliquidcode wrote: post #7
sublinear wrote: post #3

> Why does every online discussion terminate in ethical grandstanding? I understand the use of "every" is hyperbole, but that's not the only way online discussions terminate. Sometimes they end in rational debate where the conflict is a matter of epistemology rather than morality.

[flagged]

reddit is its own special toxic waste dump.

Re: The inescapable rise of moral superiority

#19

Post by antisyzygy »

treeman79 wrote: post #9
ddq wrote: post #2

Loved the last paragraph, always good to end with ideas for positive action. >As cathartic as venting one’s outrage can be in the moment, it’s clear that moral grandstanding accomplishes very little beyond the fleeting satisfaction that it brings. Shaming people doesn’t seem to change their behaviour, and invoking mass shooting victims in an argument about hamburgers doesn’t move the needle on gun control. Social cha…

[flagged]

You seem overly concerned with that one issue.

Truth is if the government wanted to do this you'd have no chance in hell resisting using your AR-15. They's suspend the constitution and the military would be deployed Stateside.

You'd be an ill-equipped Russian soldier against NATO hardware like in Ukraine. 10-20 of you dead for every 1 US military member you take out.

The better option is to ensure you have a Democracy, so you can rule your own selves and kick the authoritarians to the curb. Authoritarians are always the folks that instigate the things you describe, be they left or right wing.

Re: The inescapable rise of moral superiority

#20

Post by _def »

I feel this often with peers and at my workplace. If there is something that I don't understand I try to come up with possible explanations. If it's about something that is frowned upon or unpopular then I often feel how people get defensive and think I want to justify the thing or expose them for not knowing something. I don't. I just want to understand and maybe get something helpful out of it, maybe learn something about others or myself in the process. But I feel I'm in a minority with this thinking and it's a great source for all kinds of misunderstandings. I guess we all have our blind spots, otherwise I could understand the persons that I described. Ultimately I think practicing compassion is key.
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