[LΩVE]

Originally Posted by KSig RC

Here's the thing: hazing/bullying requires a group effort. That really doesn't exist here - especially not in this sort of thread.



Nah, it's just that there are various parts of conversing with Monet that are quite unique.



There's a perception issue here in the sentence I deleted (because I'm barely going to address that) - that's because people who have advanced knowledge on a topic can come across as condescending when, in fact, they're not intending to be, and because people hate to feel inferior, abased or subjugated so they react harshly.

Here's the thing, though - when your doctor gives a diagnosis, you don't expect your opinion of illness to be taken as on par with the doctor's. When your attorney gives you legal advice, you'd assume a lay opinion would not be on equal footing or be taken with equal consideration.

So, along the same lines, when people with advanced knowledge of this subject drop some knowledge, don't think that it is meant to 'negate' your opinion, but rather to inform you of places where your opinion may be misguided, or to inform you of biases, beliefs or experiences that may color your opinion in ways you don't expect.

Nothing can "negate" an opinion. That doesn't mean all opinions are correct or well-founded, or that there is no way for knowledge to be interjected. It also doesn't mean your opinion isn't valuable - it's just not equally valuable as facts and knowledge.

Bullying certainly exists on an individual level, I just won't participate. Not interested in being a doormat or a victim.

I didn't read it like that...interesting at first, purposefully baiting in the end, hence my deciding not to engage with that poster. There's no point in trying to have a one on one discussion when one part is being completely ignored, so I'm happy to leave that dynamic to the group. It's just not my style.

I can recognize the difference between someone who is simply knowledgeable and offering what they know and someone who is being a huge prick. Huge prick seems to be the overwhelming majority at the moment, but certainly some people are simply offering their take.

What I was writing about was the fact that there have been times when, literally, "laypeople" have been told to shut the fuck up because they had no idea what they were talking about. There is a difference between offering a viewpoint and telling someone else theirs is not valid because they are not "knowledgeable" on the topic. Most people here, especially those of an ethnic minority are extremely knowledgeable on the topic-just not on the academic level. People who have experienced racism are knowledgeable on the topic, too, even if they haven't read books on the topic. It is the attitude that they are NOT because they are not experts through research that squashes the opportunity to learn. Experience is just as valuable and sometimes more so. I can read all I want to, become an "expert" in the sense that I've researched racism and its impacts from every level but I'll never see it from the viewpoint of someone who is black or hispanic or who is a Muslim living in America. A book can't make me feel that, and of course neither can a message on a forum, but because it carries the weight of someone's personal emotions and particular experiences it can come a lot closer.