Despite their reputed rarity, he might have eaten one of those bad apples we hear about.
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Here is a good example of why:
and related:
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Protesters arrested near Homewood jail where police say Kindra Chapman, 18, hanged herself 1 week ago | AL.com
Also the day after Sandra Bland…
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Plenty of derailments appear “natural” to the people attempting to steer conversation towards their POV, it’s hardly unfair.
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It needn’t even be one’s own POV. Often, even just listing alternate ways to frame a situation is enough to inspire some to soapbox and complain. When people are determined to make a personal problem of a topic, they will find a way to do so.
As with many things in life, it’s not so much what you say as how you say it.
Devil’s advocacy can be used for good and advancement of thought, reframing of any situation in an interesting and insightful manner, and it can be an annoyingly contrarian devil’s advocate, who attempts to reframe insincerely and without sincere interest in understanding others’ POV so much as attempting to threadjack.
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With me, at least, devil’s advocacy tends to be how I naturally think in response to deeply entrenched positions. The problem then becomes that others are frequently more interested in identifying with their POV than they are in explaining or exploring it. So topics which are shaped this way can feel like emotional shitstorms, where many mistake persuasion for understanding. I am more interested in “comparative realities”- that is, a diverse ecosystem of thought - rather than shaming or convincing people towards the same opinion.
As I understand theadjack, it is truly a matter of off-topic discussion, rather than manicuring the discussion to frame it from a certain ideology.
And devoid of context / expression it is a healthy attitude.
As sometimes practiced and without such good intentions, it can be obstructive and onanistic, babby’s first forensic debate. (I was abstractly replying to your abstract musings, of course.)
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“Glad you have exculpatory evidence, I’m going to seize it, and destroy it.”
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Christ, what an asshole!
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I don’t think anyone is owed respect because they are in a position of power. As pointed out upstream it is hard to even define what respect means. I think asking for respect is asking the wrong question.
I also think being an asshole to people is a bad life strategy in general. Regardless of who you are speaking to, whether it is your closest friend, a family member, a stranger, the cashier at the supermarket, a cop, your boss. Or even a virtual someone on the BBS, here. Those outcomes will all be worse if you choose to be an asshole.
Instead, we should focus on being civil. You can choose civil disobedience and disagreement. But the civil part is the important bit, the part that keeps everything from breaking down to worse outcomes. Forget “respect” and all the weird implications that word carries with it. Just be civil. To everyone. All the time. Even if they don’t deserve it, you do.
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