I’m tired, too. I’m tired of constantly having to watch what I say or don’t say because of the fear that some mob will descend on me and try to ruin my life as they are now trying to do to Nick Bostrom. Perhaps someone in your situation can find it in themselves to have sympathy for people in my position and not just people in yours.
It seems a number of people agree with your sentiment, throwaway791, so I’m choosing to respond:
Most people do not experience a “mob descending on them and trying to ruin their life,” especially for merely something they said, and especially for something they couldn’t have anticipated—perhaps by first getting input from a few trusted friends or colleagues—would cause life-altering backlash.
If this is a sensation you genuinely routinely find yourself experiencing such that it is causing you exhaustion, it sounds horribly stressful and I’m very sorry you are going through this. I would encourage you to consider speaking to a mental health professional because my layperson perspective is that this is an exaggerated fear that may be indicative of larger issues around anxiety.
That aside, words and the concepts they perpetuate have consequences. Those consequences can range from hurt feelings to genocidal ideologies taking root. I consistently express views that are outside the social norm, but I don’t share your fear. I think this is because (1) I am never “an edgelord”, (2) I don’t often express ideas that are likely to harm others, and (3) I spend enough time learning about the world and others’ views and experiences to trust I am calibrated well to what is incendiary and why. If you’re spending a great deal of time watching what you say and experiencing uncertainty regarding how others will respond, maybe you’re experiencing a calibration issue. If so, this seems very addressable by exposing yourself to more areas of discourse, cultivating and practicing empathy, and doing more listening than speaking.
I consistently express views that are outside the social norm, but I don’t share your fear.
What you’re missing here is the concept of heresy.
Plenty of views that are outside the social norm are not considered heretical. For instance, if you don’t like a movie that most people like or vice versa, that view is going to be outside the social norm but not in a way that means people who express it are punished for their opinions.
The problem is that some true things are considered heretical, and therefore you must be cautious in how much you reveal of what you really believe, even in private as such private communications can end up being publicized in a way that’s out of your control.
That aside, words and the concepts they perpetuate have consequences. Those consequences can range from hurt feelings to genocidal ideologies taking root.
Yes, I’m sure Catholics in 16th century Spain also believed that “words and the concepts they perpetuate have consequences”, for example such as God deciding to punish your civilization by causing crop harvests to fail three years in a row because you were insufficiently pious and didn’t suppress opponents of Catholicism sufficiently strongly.
You can always tell stories about how people expressing views you don’t like will have bad consequences. Most of these stories are utter hogwash and are nothing more than exercises in self-delusion. Please keep the past record of such storytelling in mind when you make claims of alleged harm supported only by poor evidence and implicit intuitions you’re unable to share with others.
If you’re spending a great deal of time watching what you say and experiencing uncertainty regarding how others will respond, maybe you’re experiencing a calibration issue.
I know exactly how others will respond. My uncertainty is about what I have said where and when will suddenly become the subject of attention by people who wish to attack me. There’s no calibration issue if you’re afraid to declare you’re an atheist in 16th century Spain, just a well-calibrated recognition that doing this will be very bad for you.
It is difficult to engage with you because the potential range of beliefs you could be referring to is so vast, there is no context aside from the Bostrom email, and you’re an anonymous account so there is even less context. Regardless, it sounds like this still comes down to a question of why making (allegedly) truthful statements would lead to life-altering backlash and I see a distinction between “because it threatens the norm and people see it as heretical” and “because it is tied to ideologies that have caused vast suffering.” I also would want to know the purpose of making the incendiary statements: Are they helpful in actually improving the world? Or are they promoting a truth for truth’s sake?
Fwiw, many of the views I express would accurately be described as heretical, by your definition. And I have personally experienced a mob descending and attempting to ruin my life as a result.
You asked for sympathy; you don’t seem willing to receive it.
You insist that your unpopular views are targeted like atheists in 16th century Spain,
& dismiss others who feel persecuted for their viewpoints as utter hogwash.
So, it seems what you want is self-glorification?
You put yourself forward as singularly persecuted,
you ask for sympathy in what seems to have actually been a passive aggressive accusation of hypocrisy,
& so, I do believe that you’re experiencing constant worry about saying the wrong thing,
because for whatever reason, that constant anxiety is the price you’ve decided to pay for the righteous certainty of your unpopular convictions.
I’m tired, too. I’m tired of constantly having to watch what I say or don’t say because of the fear that some mob will descend on me and try to ruin my life as they are now trying to do to Nick Bostrom. Perhaps someone in your situation can find it in themselves to have sympathy for people in my position and not just people in yours.
It seems a number of people agree with your sentiment, throwaway791, so I’m choosing to respond:
Most people do not experience a “mob descending on them and trying to ruin their life,” especially for merely something they said, and especially for something they couldn’t have anticipated—perhaps by first getting input from a few trusted friends or colleagues—would cause life-altering backlash.
If this is a sensation you genuinely routinely find yourself experiencing such that it is causing you exhaustion, it sounds horribly stressful and I’m very sorry you are going through this. I would encourage you to consider speaking to a mental health professional because my layperson perspective is that this is an exaggerated fear that may be indicative of larger issues around anxiety.
That aside, words and the concepts they perpetuate have consequences. Those consequences can range from hurt feelings to genocidal ideologies taking root. I consistently express views that are outside the social norm, but I don’t share your fear. I think this is because (1) I am never “an edgelord”, (2) I don’t often express ideas that are likely to harm others, and (3) I spend enough time learning about the world and others’ views and experiences to trust I am calibrated well to what is incendiary and why. If you’re spending a great deal of time watching what you say and experiencing uncertainty regarding how others will respond, maybe you’re experiencing a calibration issue. If so, this seems very addressable by exposing yourself to more areas of discourse, cultivating and practicing empathy, and doing more listening than speaking.
What you’re missing here is the concept of heresy.
Plenty of views that are outside the social norm are not considered heretical. For instance, if you don’t like a movie that most people like or vice versa, that view is going to be outside the social norm but not in a way that means people who express it are punished for their opinions.
The problem is that some true things are considered heretical, and therefore you must be cautious in how much you reveal of what you really believe, even in private as such private communications can end up being publicized in a way that’s out of your control.
Yes, I’m sure Catholics in 16th century Spain also believed that “words and the concepts they perpetuate have consequences”, for example such as God deciding to punish your civilization by causing crop harvests to fail three years in a row because you were insufficiently pious and didn’t suppress opponents of Catholicism sufficiently strongly.
You can always tell stories about how people expressing views you don’t like will have bad consequences. Most of these stories are utter hogwash and are nothing more than exercises in self-delusion. Please keep the past record of such storytelling in mind when you make claims of alleged harm supported only by poor evidence and implicit intuitions you’re unable to share with others.
I know exactly how others will respond. My uncertainty is about what I have said where and when will suddenly become the subject of attention by people who wish to attack me. There’s no calibration issue if you’re afraid to declare you’re an atheist in 16th century Spain, just a well-calibrated recognition that doing this will be very bad for you.
It is difficult to engage with you because the potential range of beliefs you could be referring to is so vast, there is no context aside from the Bostrom email, and you’re an anonymous account so there is even less context. Regardless, it sounds like this still comes down to a question of why making (allegedly) truthful statements would lead to life-altering backlash and I see a distinction between “because it threatens the norm and people see it as heretical” and “because it is tied to ideologies that have caused vast suffering.” I also would want to know the purpose of making the incendiary statements: Are they helpful in actually improving the world? Or are they promoting a truth for truth’s sake?
Fwiw, many of the views I express would accurately be described as heretical, by your definition. And I have personally experienced a mob descending and attempting to ruin my life as a result.
You asked for sympathy; you don’t seem willing to receive it.
You insist that your unpopular views are targeted like atheists in 16th century Spain, & dismiss others who feel persecuted for their viewpoints as utter hogwash.
So, it seems what you want is self-glorification? You put yourself forward as singularly persecuted, you ask for sympathy in what seems to have actually been a passive aggressive accusation of hypocrisy,
& so, I do believe that you’re experiencing constant worry about saying the wrong thing, because for whatever reason, that constant anxiety is the price you’ve decided to pay for the righteous certainty of your unpopular convictions.
Dogma is like that.
Yes, having to consider the potential consequences of one’s words and actions can be a real drag.
Thanks for your invaluable contribution in pointing this out :)