You know, I've been looking through a lot of recent threads about sexism and gender topics in gaming (This thread is NOT about either of those so please only reference them as a source for the real topic) and I can't help but wonder. How much of the arguments we have on the Escapist, of people tearing each other apart, these massive flame wars between people, are just because we really just don't get the other person. I noticed someone, I think it was GuitarMasterx7, remark that the main problem with arguments on this thread was that a few people took extremist stances, and then all of a sudden everyone who wasn't on the side of the people of those extremists assumed that everyone on that side was just as bad as the extremists. And that just isn't the case.
Not all Republicans are George Bush and Rush Limbaugh that do nothing but watch Fox News, not all Catholics are bible thumping, homophobic, creationists, not everyone concerned with social issues is a crazy Tumblr user who argues about adult privilege and screams about homophobia, racism and sexism the second someone doesn't agree with them, and not everyone who is an atheist openly hates on religion and whoever practices it. But as much as these things are pretty much stereotypes, they seem to be stereotypes that are affecting our views, for these groups of people and so many others that I can't even begin to count them.
Every side has good people and every side has assholes. You can't look at a person and judge them by the views that they have. Someone could perfectly calmly and rationally explain a view you disagree with to, to the point where it's clear he has good logical reason to have that view, while someone else could angrily roar and swear, spit flying from his mouth, defending a view you agree with and generally come off as a fanatic.
Really, the problem is that every time we go to do a debate nowadays, we do it loaded. We already have our views set, we already think we know what the other side is, we already know why they're wrong. But that's kind of a problem, we've already based what we think the other side is off of either extremists that only make up a fraction of that side, or simple misunderstandings that we think cloak the entire other side.
If we want to get anywhere besides shouting at each other, we need to come to the table empty handed. We need to come with a Tabula rasa, we need to leave everything we think about the other person at the door. We need to sit down, present our arguments, let them present their arguments, and then talk about them without bringing in outside biases. If we do that, then maybe we can get somewhere other than shouting at a brick wall.
Not all Republicans are George Bush and Rush Limbaugh that do nothing but watch Fox News, not all Catholics are bible thumping, homophobic, creationists, not everyone concerned with social issues is a crazy Tumblr user who argues about adult privilege and screams about homophobia, racism and sexism the second someone doesn't agree with them, and not everyone who is an atheist openly hates on religion and whoever practices it. But as much as these things are pretty much stereotypes, they seem to be stereotypes that are affecting our views, for these groups of people and so many others that I can't even begin to count them.
Every side has good people and every side has assholes. You can't look at a person and judge them by the views that they have. Someone could perfectly calmly and rationally explain a view you disagree with to, to the point where it's clear he has good logical reason to have that view, while someone else could angrily roar and swear, spit flying from his mouth, defending a view you agree with and generally come off as a fanatic.
Really, the problem is that every time we go to do a debate nowadays, we do it loaded. We already have our views set, we already think we know what the other side is, we already know why they're wrong. But that's kind of a problem, we've already based what we think the other side is off of either extremists that only make up a fraction of that side, or simple misunderstandings that we think cloak the entire other side.
If we want to get anywhere besides shouting at each other, we need to come to the table empty handed. We need to come with a Tabula rasa, we need to leave everything we think about the other person at the door. We need to sit down, present our arguments, let them present their arguments, and then talk about them without bringing in outside biases. If we do that, then maybe we can get somewhere other than shouting at a brick wall.
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