Quote:
Originally Posted by BoLevi
The structure of online communities tends to drive a consolidation of opinions - dissenters depart as the mob mentality rules. Result: an echo chamber. Additional result: people think they are centrist when they are not centrist. People prefer to be surrounded by like minded individuals rather than not.
That's why people react so negatively when presented with reasonable views that differ from theirs. (In fact, they find this more difficult than UNreasonable views that differ from theirs, which they can simply marginalize).
The unfortunate thing about echo chambers, is that it is hard to identify when you are in one. You just assume you are right a lot.
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Considering this seems to be a problem of the select few, and not the problem for the countless number of posters who reasonably disagree across political, moral, and social lines in countless threads, perhaps this is not an "online community" problem here, and more a personal problem.
Have you ever asked yourself why you have so much trouble expressing what you believe to be reasonable centrist positions without negative reactions, and why many others who actually do this (even reasonable right-leaning or left-leaning positions) do not have any trouble doing so? Or is it all just "echo chambers" and "group think" to blame, with zero self-reflection required?