A Lot More Disagreeing Going On

Due to the expansion of the inter-tubes and user-friendly net tools, the writing on the net has transformed into a conversation. Commenters, writers, and even trolls are a part of the dialogue going on in millions of conversations across the globe.

This means many things, but one thing for sure is it means there are a lot more public arguments going on. They range from Pie-fights to genuine intellectual discourse. But one thing is clear, for many this is a new experience and finding the best way to voice your opinions and be open to the thoughts and ideas of others is often a fine needle to thread.

…there's a lot more disagreeing going on, especially measured by the word. That doesn't mean people are getting angrier. The structural change in the way we communicate is enough to account for it. But though it's not anger that's driving the increase in disagreement, there's a danger that the increase in disagreement will make people angrier. Particularly online, where it's easy to say things you'd never say face to face.If we're all going to be disagreeing more, we should be careful to do it well.- Paul Graham

Graham’s site has this great overview and advice posted on “How to Disagree.”

Take a read through the Disagreement Hierarchy and share your thoughts and experiences in the thread.

This final comment says so much;

You don't have to be mean when you have a real point to make. In fact, you don't want to. If you have something real to say, being mean just gets in the way.If moving up the disagreement hierarchy makes people less mean, that will make most of them happier. Most people don't really enjoy being mean; they do it because they can't help it.

h/t to Terri in Tokyo (who hates conflict and confrontation)