On Tue, Jan 9, 2018 at 1:44 PM Udhay Shankar N <ud...@pobox.com> wrote
about filter bubbles and such:
I am aware, sometimes sharply aware, that I occupy just such a
filterbubble. I'm not happy about it, and it worries me. OTOH, the
stupid hurts so much!
Much as I dislike Facebook, it brings me into contact with a broader
range of opinions than other fora. There's a lot of content there that
comes from outside my personal bubble. The challenge is that once I ban
those who make ad hominum attacks on others, there's not a lot left.
Perhaps I need to "friend" more people I fundamentally disagree with.
This has been a particularly challenging year for an American who
thinks. I see many in our government making a bad decision when they
have to choose between Truth and Loyalty. And this includes some on "my"
side of the debates. It all has a very Orwellian stink to it.
For that matter, it smells much like Nixon, who I remember clearly, even
without the upcoming feature film.
The antidote to bubbles, according to many, is to engage constructively
with the opposition. I have found this difficult, as few of them are
willing to have a discussion, much less a debate. I also find that once
they claim unquestioning adherence to something that science or simple
observation shows is simply untrue, my enthusiasm drains from me like
snow from a hot tin roof.
"Get involved" is another cry I hear, and while tempting, I'm turning 64
tomorrow, my wife is needing steadily increasing amounts of care, and in
many way's I'm burned out. Not sure how much credit goes to my
intermittent depression and how much the depression is caused by all
else. I aspire to help make phone calls on election day to encourage
participation, but I notice I have yet to do so.
So yes, it's mostly comfortable here in my bubble (and thank you all for
being inside it), but one can see what's going on outside without
understanding it (except as deviant psychology). No, I'm not saying that
those who disagree with me are crazy, though some are. It's that so many
simply do not respect reality, and I don't know how to handle people
like that, much less a society composed of them.
But I'll keep reading here, as the foundational level of sanity and
abundant love are things I feel a deep need of at present. But if you
know someone on the outside who can endure a conversation, please give
them my email.
Cheers,
/ Bruce /
