Are we becoming an evermore divided society?
Discussion
It seems that way.
Brexit/Remain
Drivers/Cyclsts
Poppy/Non-Poppy
Offended/Non-offended
Gender acceptance/non-acceptance
Etc Etc.
That doesn't even include cultural/religeous/ethnicity divides.
Or has the internet/social media/media just given everybody/too many people a voice?
Sorry, just thinking aloud.
Brexit/Remain
Drivers/Cyclsts
Poppy/Non-Poppy
Offended/Non-offended
Gender acceptance/non-acceptance
Etc Etc.
That doesn't even include cultural/religeous/ethnicity divides.
Or has the internet/social media/media just given everybody/too many people a voice?
Sorry, just thinking aloud.
Most topics in the social media age seem to be hijacked by lunatics who relegate the other side to their lunatic element, e.g. all brexiteers are racists, all cyclists are sucidal lemmings etc and these plonkers just drown out the sensibles who just give up and or remain silent through not wanting to be tarred.
Ironically this might work against the interest of the virtuous voices - imagine if say the moderate brexit voters felt more comfortable discussing their feelings openly and objectively instead of feeling at-risk and burying their feelings only to be expressed in the poll booth, a few might have been swayed and the result might have been different.
Ironically this might work against the interest of the virtuous voices - imagine if say the moderate brexit voters felt more comfortable discussing their feelings openly and objectively instead of feeling at-risk and burying their feelings only to be expressed in the poll booth, a few might have been swayed and the result might have been different.
glenrobbo said:
Are you being intentionally divisive?
I think some people are. There seems to be a thing now that you have to entirely agree or disagree with a certain viewpoint or person, instead of coming to a consensus or agreeing to disagree.The media are probably fuelling this, you seek out what agrees with you. I would not be reading the Mail except to laugh at it, but others are probably the same about the Guardian.
Were we divided more in the past but seem to have forgotten about it? We had Mods vs Rockers in the 60s, world wars etc, are we just talking more about it now instead of fighting?
Cyder said:
I think 99% of people don’t give a s
t.
But the wonderful social meeja world allows the 1% at either end of the bell curve to have a noisy voice.
Back in the old days it was much harder for them to be heard.
Pretty much this. And the trouble is that the media amplify this voice and the government use it as an excuse to force things through. t.But the wonderful social meeja world allows the 1% at either end of the bell curve to have a noisy voice.
Back in the old days it was much harder for them to be heard.
I think a lot of it comes down to the format of social media incl. PH. You only have a very limited amount of physical space to discuss deeply complex issues.
As a result debate is invariably reduced down to snowflake/gammon [insert topic of your choosing] dog whistle sound bites. This is usually backed up by the obligatory 'show me a link or it's not true' autistic levels of reductive thinking that strips out personal experience in favour of misappropriating high level statistics.
Most sensible people are capable of nuance. Sadly the internet isn't, so sensible people tend not to waste too much time trying to debate online. The result is the shrill noise of both extremes being the only thing that is heard. So when anybody has the audacity to have a different opinion to you, they must be snowflake/gammon [insert topic of your choosing] because that's the only visible/audible alternative.
As a result debate is invariably reduced down to snowflake/gammon [insert topic of your choosing] dog whistle sound bites. This is usually backed up by the obligatory 'show me a link or it's not true' autistic levels of reductive thinking that strips out personal experience in favour of misappropriating high level statistics.
Most sensible people are capable of nuance. Sadly the internet isn't, so sensible people tend not to waste too much time trying to debate online. The result is the shrill noise of both extremes being the only thing that is heard. So when anybody has the audacity to have a different opinion to you, they must be snowflake/gammon [insert topic of your choosing] because that's the only visible/audible alternative.
The main one I see is people my age who can’t afford to buy a house so don’t have kids until they can
Then the benefit lot who have kids to get a house
They then breed in 18 years time producing more and more non working types
Lived amongst this lot, one of the only workers for many houses, struggling to get on in life
Then the benefit lot who have kids to get a house
They then breed in 18 years time producing more and more non working types
Lived amongst this lot, one of the only workers for many houses, struggling to get on in life
There's many people out there who can't cope with the thought of someone not being completely in one particular camp of thought.
I remember having a discussion with a colleague at the time of the last general election, and they couldn't get their head around the fact that while I'm generally a left-leaning voter, I didn't agree with everything that was in the Labour manifesto, and not did I disagree with everything in the Tory manifesto.
Surely people aren't blinkered enough to agree or disagree with something just because of who's said it?
I remember having a discussion with a colleague at the time of the last general election, and they couldn't get their head around the fact that while I'm generally a left-leaning voter, I didn't agree with everything that was in the Labour manifesto, and not did I disagree with everything in the Tory manifesto.
Surely people aren't blinkered enough to agree or disagree with something just because of who's said it?
vixen1700 said:
It seems that way.
Brexit/Remain
Drivers/Cyclsts
Poppy/Non-Poppy
Offended/Non-offended
Gender acceptance/non-acceptance
Etc Etc.
That doesn't even include cultural/religeous/ethnicity divides.
Or has the internet/social media/media just given everybody/too many people a voice?
Sorry, just thinking aloud.
Isn’t this all internet social media stuff though? Does anyone here actually care about any of this at all? Brexit/Remain
Drivers/Cyclsts
Poppy/Non-Poppy
Offended/Non-offended
Gender acceptance/non-acceptance
Etc Etc.
That doesn't even include cultural/religeous/ethnicity divides.
Or has the internet/social media/media just given everybody/too many people a voice?
Sorry, just thinking aloud.
I certainly have never argued or discussed any of these ‘divisive issues’ with my friends or family or even any real people.
J4CKO said:
I have noticed all the fervent Brexiteers I know all tend to also repost EDL/Britain first Memes and anti cyclist stuff.
They do seem to end up going hand in hand. If you follow Leave.EU or Britain First when they were around it goes from Pro-Brexit to anti Islam, and anti pretty much anything progressive pretty quickly.I was thinking about this on a recent visit to the states. Thinking beforehand that I was due for a 3 week long debate with anyone I met on the merits and problems with the orange haired imbecile in chief, I was pleasantly surprised. I think only about two people bought up politics in the whole time I was there. The news would have you believe there are two warring sides, one being Republican gun nuts, who hate Hilary, minorities, socialism, taxes and the environment the other being SJWs who hate businesses, freedom, guns and Trump. In fact a lot of people are tired of all that and believe in what they believe and make up their own mind on each subject.
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