I often get frustrated with the tribalistic thinking of the hordes. I mean, I understand why we humans, in mass groups, act like this. I understand the evolutionary reasons for a pack behaviors, but one would think we could get past it by now. I mean, we are past the stone age, right?

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Absolute Positions or nil

It seems to come to this, most of the time at least. You're either with me, or against me. You either believe my team is amazing, or you are my sworn enemy. It's 1 or 1000, the shades are discarded for the sake of effect, I guess.

What am I talking about? You may ask naively. I'm talking about online discourse, of course. Yes, that thing that people do these days, as if it's fixing the broken pipe dripping so loud on your sink, it's keeping you up all night.

It doesn't help that the platforms people use, the social media apps, that is, are designed for radicalization. You see, extreme positions create addicted users. The radicalization of an unwilling brain, is nothing more than the best of consumers for twitter, facebook, instagram and alike.

Keyboard Warriors

We know then, gosh, we may have been one at some point. They are not a dying breed, it's quite the opposite. They multiply, and the do so without the cost of relationships. The dopamine hit is too good to not require it before bed, I guess.

Dude A: "I'ma show this crazy Trump supporter he's an idiot!!
Dude B: "This freedom hating libtard is nothing but a cucky soyboy!"

My emulation seem on par with the nation at this point. But, why do I have a problem with this? you may ask. Well, at times I, naively so, try to interject with some nuance, with some fallacy breaking (I think so at least) snippet of information. And, if I don't state clearly my position, my stance, the color of my T-shirt, I will get DP'd by the warriors. If I state it, which I'm tempted to do, at least one side will forgive my digital trespassing.

Not fence sitting

I know what you might be thinking. I know, I can read your mind. You are thinking I'm a fence sitter, and hence I'm too chicken to truly say what I think, because I want to avoid confrontation. But no, that's not it, and that's a typical insult I get when I attempt to inject nuance to a discussion.

To be precise, concise, and somewhat nice; Allow me to tell you a real example:

A prominent conservative voice decided to attack socialism, as they do every day for the clicks. I read the attack, laughed at the stupidity of it, and asked a simple question.

Conservative Talking head: Socialism is murder! Hitler was a socialist, and look at what he did. The Democrats are trying to bring death and murder to us, like Hitler did with his socialist ideas!

As I was reading such "brilliant" attack, I thought to myself. How was Hitler a socialist? and proceded to type that question to the Talking Head.

Now, if you are tempted, if your fingers are itching to teach me history, and tell what NAZI means, let me stop you right away.

I know what the acronym means, but why should I care? I mean, why does it matter. Does it not matter what they did, more that what they labeled it?

We know it means National Socialist German Workers' Party, but what did it do for bringing socialism to workers? How was gassing jewish people their political platform?

I see you... yes, yes... You are screaming at the screen right now...

Learn history, it was a socialist party. History, my friends, only states it called itself a socialist party. You know who else calls themselves something they are not? North Korea. Maybe you know, maybe you don't, but they are called Democratic Republic of North Korea, and democracy is nowhere near that dictatorship, right?

Does this mean I'm a socialist?

When did I say that? When did I defend socialism? I never did, and possibly never will, since it stands against most of what I believe in. The point is this. Hitler was not a socialist, he was a fascist, and they are on opposite spectrums.

It's lazy thinking, and it annoys me. It's another version of fear porn, not too unlike the one being used to get everyone to be scared of COVID these days.

What's the conclush?

I don't have one, and I'm sorry to underwhelm. People are people, they love drama, they love to place people in the out-groups and stone them to death (digitally these days), because it's always going to give us morbid pleasure.

Will this change? Probably not. Should we try to change it anyways? Maybe, but be ready to get the tribalistic mentally handicapped fear mongering monolithic thinkers attacking you with straw men until the cows come home, or pigs come home? or is it the cows fly? No wait... it was flying pigs.. Why? Who cares? I made my point...

MenO