I sometimes post news articles that examine possible problems in society. Some may agree with the author, some may disagree. I often see these posts being downvoted if many disagree with the author.
Why do you downvote the post instead of commenting to express your disagreement?
As far as I understand, the idea is to upvote the post to spur conversation and comment to express your agreement or disagreement. Or did I misunderstand something?
Is the downvote not for disagreeing? I don’t have time to comment on every post I see.
To me, a downvote on a posted article suggests it doesn’t belong where it was posted, or the article is itself bogus, something along those lines. But (again, in my opinion) comments are fair game for downvotes if you disagree, and I will also do so if I disagree vehemently. But if you don’t want to actually add something to the discussion, no vote is really needed. Maybe you ultimately disagree with a post or comment, but it gave you something to think about? If so, the comment contributed positively to the discussion.
I see the whole system as kind of flawed, like. If I think some topic or post is total bullshit and frankly, wrong, I’m supposed to comment to disagree with it, driving it further up in activity. So let’s imagine a platform where everyone uses the system “how they’re supposed to” and there’s a post about blatant bullshit, supporting nazi ideology or some shit like that (exaggerated, but for a point) and it’s dressed in the clothes of a well-mannered, discussion provoking post, and it gets a billion comments all disagreeing and it gets to the most active posts just because of this. When if it was downvoted, it’d just be more ignored the more people disagree with it.
I get the intention behind the reasoning for it, but it just doesn’t work like that, because the whole system is flawed. The most active posts would be filled with thinly veiled and not so thinly veiled, even clever, ragebait and bullshit.
As much as I hate to see “tHe hIvEmInD” and brigaders flood posts and comments with actual, relevant conversation and takes, with this system we’re just gonna have to deal with it I guess.
If a Nazi expresses their opinion in a civil manner and lots of other people express why they disagree with it, then… what exactly is the problem with the post getting attention?
Why give a nazi the stage? Why raise their opinions there? The points are and have been expressed in a civil manner for at least a century.
“If a holocaust denialist expresses their opinion in a civil manner why not give their point of view more attention”
“If a pedophile expresses their opinion in a civil manner why not give their point of view more attention”
“If a rapist expresses their opinion in a civil manner why not give their point of view more attention”
“If a misogynist/misandrist expresses their opinion in a civil manner why not give their point of view attention”
If this is seriously an issue you have a dilemma with I have nothing further to say to you.
These kinds of points of view get enough attention as it is. No one needs to give them any more.
Because if you use force to suppress people’s opinions instead of rationally arguing with them, it gives the impression that they may have a good point.
Nope. Popper’s Paradox of Tolerance.
You’ll have to excuse the lack of elaboration but I’m kinda done of repeating myself when it comes to this topic.
You should ditch all qualms about losing the moral high ground over nazis. They don’t give a fuck, and neither should you.
Come on, don’t make me
tap the signpost the Sartre quote, you know, the one that goes:Not giving someone a platform on a stage is hardly using force to suppress people’s opinions. Go parade nazism elsewhere, you have your platforms. I promise, when there’s something worthwhile to read and respond to, people will.