"Everything is problematic" - McGill activist's story about deradicalizing

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Debate & Discussion > "Everything is problematic" - McGill activist's story about deradicalizing

exmarx: Feb 18, 2012; The experience over the years
of nothing getting better
only worse.

Rodatose posted:

The piece talks about anti-intellectualism and dogmatism coming from the viewpoint of internet social media and student campus-originated protest circles. Seriously, from now on, check the comments of your social media feed for whether they are sourced. How many of them read like cathechisms you are supposed to repeat or reblog without question? Often, I'll see a good point and look for a source but find nothing or that the initial claim is factually wrong. And that can erode the trust of comments over time, especially for people who don't check sources.anized resistance).

Reminds me a little of this piece I read a while back
https://www.jacobinmag.com/2014/06/bro-bash/

quote:

I�m sympathetic to the reasoning behind it. There does exist a culture of (mostly male) quants who perceive themselves as scientific and rational, but who ham-fistedly misuse data, or worse, reverse-engineer it to support whatever ideology they espouse.

Among them are the academics and politically appointed �experts� who use this data to inflict horrifying policies around the world without scrutiny. These paternalistic figures don�t care that their work is opaque. Eventually, it will all be translated for mass consumption by elected officials.

More famous, though, is the pop quant � an entertainer who produces something digestible for a broad audience, all while giving them the impression that they�re learning unimpeachable truths. Pop quants are like celebrity intellectuals that never make you feel stupid.

While intellectuals can be intimidating, pop quants are a reassurance, flattering their readers into docility. They�re never part of any political administration, and probably have no such aspirations, as getting involved in government would immediately ruin their air of impartiality.

They come in many flavors. Liberal darling Malcolm Gladwell relies more on storytelling than numbers, but he uses them strategically with copious footnotes. Of course, his fans aren�t meant to check those footnotes or question his use of sources; the footnotes themselves are intended as scrupulousness made self-evident.

# ¿ Dec 3, 2014 09:53

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# ¿ May 12, 2024 05:27

exmarx: Feb 18, 2012; The experience over the years
of nothing getting better
only worse.

I wonder if majority groups would have less issues with privilege theory if it was more accurately called 'relatively lower levels of oppression theory'

UP AND ADAM posted:

Reddit might be best for you then.

# ¿ Dec 5, 2014 03:59

exmarx: Feb 18, 2012; The experience over the years
of nothing getting better
only worse.

SedanChair posted:

He sure drank it up though, didn't he.

Yeah but watching anime made him love guns, so :shrug:

# ¿ Dec 5, 2014 08:32

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Debate & Discussion > "Everything is problematic" - McGill activist's story about deradicalizing