At small social scales - neighborhood bulletin board systems, specialized mailing lists, Facebook when it was just some Harvard kids - social media could be a fun chat among friends. At large social scales it is a nonviolent, but at least as verbally nasty, form of warfare.
-
I'll bet the gutenberg press had a similar effect for some time after its invention. Unleashing a partisan free for all in which grievances were weaponized before the peacemakers were able to engage across identity group boundaries. We are going through a similar process now.
Indeed it was called the Reformation. The "peacemakers reaching across identity group boundaries" is an illusion, though -- usually people who see themselves in that role are or become the most partisan and vicious of all.
-
-
Would you agree that since the reformation the tension / violence between identity groups has decreased or increased? Wouldn't that have to be a result of people extending each other the benefit of the doubt, and agreeing to end the partisan slur fest? What would you call ...
-
The people that do that in good faith? I agree that some the worst partisans would call themselves peacemakers. That doesn't mean that the peacemakers don't exist or grow to outgun the partisans.
End of conversation
New conversation -
Loading seems to be taking a while.
Twitter may be over capacity or experiencing a momentary hiccup. Try again or visit Twitter Status for more information.