(02-23-2021 11:26 AM)tigergreen Wrote:  

(02-23-2021 11:14 AM)DFWMINER Wrote:  I wonder if we would ignore people if we were all in the same room having a beer together? Would the discord be as strong?

Of course it wouldn't. There would be a small percentage of the people on here who would name call & shout at the rain as they do on here, but that's because they're so far down the rabbit hole they're incapable of seeing past their own immediate world. For the most part people would discuss and likely find some common ground.

Social media outlets like this, while entertaining for discussion sometimes, have really made the polarization worse.

Yup - you would think it would free up discussion and debate, instead it has become a who can yell the loudest and put you down the most cockfight to drown out those you don't agree with.

Internet bullying is popular because there is no threat of physical confrontation. This freedom of expression is filtering out of the anonymous zone however. You get used to shooting your mouth off on the internets, and you feel emboldened to do it out in public because you are so used to saying whatever you want.

I am certainly not the toughest guy in the room, however I am physically imposing enough that many would not say to my face what many have said here (to me or others). It is the best and worst thing about social media. You can express yourself freely, but you can also express yourself without threat or fear of a beat down if you want to be aggressive about it.


I am fine with opposing views, I am not fine with smarmy and often belittling ways of presentation. "I think Trump is an A-Hole" is much different that "I think Trump is an A-Hole and you are a racist for backing him". I am probably going to knock you out if you say that to my face - but most would never say that to my face.

TigerGreen is good with me, we all take our shots and low blows at people, but you are generally respectful of the proper discourse.

I am willing to bet that most if not all of those on my ignore list would not take the tone they take on this board if we were sitting at the bar talking across the table at each other.