Posted: May 25, 2019 4:38 pm
Cito di Pense wrote:tuco wrote:Honestly, I dunno how this shit works. I suspect most people want to be good people and are willing to delude themselves in the process. However, I do believe peer pressure works and, I guess, most people are emotionally liable. The goal of those who signal is to gain some advantage. Be it with regards to own delusions or peer recognition. If this works for most people, I think the emotionally not liable are of no real concern. They will end up on the fringe.
These work as bona fides:
"I believe most people want to be good people"
"I believe peer pressure works"
"Most people are emotionally labile"
Now that you've told me what you believe, what then? Does it mean that anecdotes are not (precisely) anecdotes? Virtue signalling is not subject to criticism because it only (or even ever) consists of anecdotes. It's only reliable if you believe in certain stuff.
To keep the conversation going, to give you a reply, what choice do I have? If I knew for fact how it works I would tell you, but do not. I said in the first sentence that I do not know how it works. Either you can relate to what I said or you don't, either it makes sense to you or it does not, either you want to continue the conversation or you don't. What do you want me to say? Shall I invest I dunno several hours to present you with an argument on peer pressure only to get your recognition? I am not that emotionally liable ;)