57

There’s nothing wrong with criticism or calling out bad behavior. However, shouting "ACAB" in a thread about police violence, making jokes about beheading rich people, or throwing "muskrat" comments in discussions about Elon Musk, just to name a few examples, makes you an asshole and part of the reason why social media is so incredibly toxic.

If you're doing that while also explaining why you feel that way, then it’s still not the best approach, but at least you're contributing to the conversation instead of just making noise. Throwing out insults without adding substance doesn't challenge anyone or encourage meaningful discussion; it just perpetuates the toxic environment that so many of us complain about.

you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[-] Hegar@fedia.io 7 points 4 days ago

I'm not criticizing the author I'm criticizing the purpose that verbal tool was constructed for. It was designed to close off debate and that's the only way it's ever used.

It's the best example of what it's trying to describe. It's a hypocrite of a phrase, engaging in what it condemns.

[-] chicken@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 points 4 days ago

and that’s the only way it’s ever used.

Kind of an extreme claim which is definitely not true.

It’s the best example of what it’s trying to describe. It’s a hypocrite of a phrase, engaging in what it condemns.

So phrases are by themselves guilty of word crimes? A cliche isn't just an often repeated series of words, it's a tired idea. "Thought terminating cliche" is itself a thought terminating cliche if it's being used that way (such as to shut down someone who was engaging in good faith and happened to use a common expression as part of that), but that doesn't mean this category of expression doesn't exist. Of course it exists, the modern internet is plagued with it because it's full of propagandists with an interest in pulling people's levers with minimal effort and no interest in argument.

this post was submitted on 26 Sep 2024
57 points (72.8% liked)

Unpopular Opinion

6216 readers
115 users here now

Welcome to the Unpopular Opinion community!


How voting works:

Vote the opposite of the norm.


If you agree that the opinion is unpopular give it an arrow up. If it's something that's widely accepted, give it an arrow down.



Guidelines:

Tag your post, if possible (not required)


  • If your post is a "General" unpopular opinion, start the subject with [GENERAL].
  • If it is a Lemmy-specific unpopular opinion, start it with [LEMMY].


Rules:

1. NO POLITICS


Politics is everywhere. Let's make this about [general] and [lemmy] - specific topics, and keep politics out of it.


2. Be civil.


Disagreements happen, but that doesn’t provide the right to personally attack others. No racism/sexism/bigotry. Please also refrain from gatekeeping others' opinions.


3. No bots, spam or self-promotion.


Only approved bots, which follow the guidelines for bots set by the instance, are allowed.


4. Shitposts and memes are allowed but...


Only until they prove to be a problem. They can and will be removed at moderator discretion.


5. No trolling.


This shouldn't need an explanation. If your post or comment is made just to get a rise with no real value, it will be removed. You do this too often, you will get a vacation to touch grass, away from this community for 1 or more days. Repeat offenses will result in a perma-ban.



Instance-wide rules always apply. https://legal.lemmy.world/tos/

founded 1 year ago
MODERATORS