I received a funny comment today. I'd mentioned that I write about a wide range of topics on my newsletter - democracy watch, media literacy, global humanism, climate change, economics, scientific literacy, historiography - but this more conservative person then explained why he doesn't engage with it.
The "moods" comment is hilariously patronizing, but I also know that, while I advocate for constructive dissent as critical to democratic thinking, many see dissent as intrinsically negative. /x
I believe that being clear about our subject-positions is the path not only to personal integrity but also a flourishing pluralist society and democracy. But I'm also not surprised that holding my opinions strongly might make others afraid to answer with strong opinions of their own. (And if they foist that fear off on me, as not wanting to "upset" me, so be it.)
But the whole point of sharing ideas is to be part of a bigger conversation. How dull that chat would be, if we all thought alike! /×
And I don't share the above to make fun of the person suggesting that my "moods" make him afraid to comment on my work.
The comment speaks to something bigger: a view of dissent I see a lot in our small-c conservative climate.
It's really hard to build a healthy conversation when folks (for whatever reason) are afraid to share how they really feel about something.
The question is how to build a society where people don't see dissent as dangerous. Constructive dialogue is hard--but necessary!