A thread about how people may not be what they seem. OK, I accept that someone displaying symbols associated with certain values might be insincere for a number of reasons, but I still think we should generally assume that people mean what they say/present.https://twitter.com/GSpellchecker/status/993761807960551425 …
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In our climate of tribalism and putting people in political categories based on one idea, ascribing values to them, misrepresenting the values they state and accusations of 'virtue signalling' and nefarious motives, it is more important than ever to be sincere & assume sincerity
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This carries the risk of being 'trolled' by someone, but assuming people actually have some other motive for saying what they say or displaying the symbols they display or that their 'signifier' may or may not be related to the accepted 'signified' makes communication impossible
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There is the option of asking every person if they mean what they say or are just trolling a certain group or being ironic or making some kind of obscure artistic statement but the logistics of this are unmanageable, it wld be very irritating to the sincere & they cld still lie.
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I don't think doubting people's sincerity when they say something we find objectionable is the way to be charitable & open-minded. This punishes the sincere and leaves the insincere unaccountable. It should be an expectation that people are judge on what they say and do.
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I think this is the way to be charitable.pic.twitter.com/EnjGDeduq7
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Prioritise the sincere over the insincere. Better to be taken in by a troll than disbelieve a sincere person. On a daily, individual basis. The sincere are the ones who have earned the right to be taken seriously.
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I have been accused of being insincere in several contexts. 1)You're just a free speech grifter, trying to make money. This is motivated by a wish to dismiss my arguments by impugning my motivations and character. It's not good.
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2) You're obviously a troll. No-one is that stupid. This is motivated by certainty & a wish to dismiss ideas that threaten it. 3) You're not really an atheist/liberal. You're too nice/reasonable. This is motivated by a wish to keep associations stable & find me acceptable.
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None of those are good. None of those cases of assuming me insincere led to productive conversation & better understanding. Worst case scenario if you mistakenly assume a troll to be sincere is that they will laugh at having 'triggered' you. This reflects badly on them, not you
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