Good old George Lakoff says (approximately) we mostly think using hardware and circuits overloaded with structures--thinking patterns--that are metaphors that we already have wiring for. If the metaphor is battle, the battle circuits are running even if we're sitting at a keyboard. If the metaphor is exploration, those neurosomatic elements are what are active as we read and type. [Addendum: What he means is that to a great extent, figures of speech are actually embodied. A fascinating prospect when he first proposed it in his Women, Fire and Dangerous Things, since somewhat sidetracked by Lakoff's celebrity consultancies among other factors.]
Lately I've wondered again: Are comment threads here on Winds arguments, battles, or are they conversations, explorations? What should they be, in what proportion?
What kind of "bar" do we run here?
In the comments guidelines and associated thread, Joe Katzman mentions "backchannel discussion". But what if there's no backchannel available? I contend that it leads to more battle, less exploration. Let's talk about that.
At the Overcoming Bias site, Norman Siebrasse speaking in a different context puts a big portion of my thesis well...
I think many (or most) discussions, particularly public discussions, are not an attempt to come to a common understanding between the parties. They are aimed at third party observers, and the main goal is to gain personal support for the participant, as opposed to support for the participant's position, by signaling cleverness, moral superiority etc. Arguments are not means to reach agreement, but signals to third parties....
Most discussions are not about truth, they are about signaling personal virtues. Precision is a narrow strategy, as it only signals cleverness; the cost of precision is high; and many observers find it to be an unreliable signal. So, for many audiences, precision may be a very poor strategy.
This is why we Marshals like to see folks include real email addresses on posts.
Other blogs have other rules. Some fairly prominent ones have member registration, post-by-post email confirmation, or moderators' vetting of each post. All of those policies-procedures can have a chilling effect or foster an "echo chamber".
Removing too much of the opportunity for battle, it seems, can leave one with an ingrown place that doesn't support true exploration. Too much battle, with all talk in plain view to everyone, can spiral out to utter distraction.
No one in the Winds of Change crew has time or inclination to implement member registration, let alone full-on moderation of every post. Apart from the hassle for us, we really don't want to install more speed bumps, and cut our chances getting substance, however provocative, from a shy participant.
So here's one of my rules of thumb. If I see people drop in and "act out", especially off topic, I just might ask them on list why they have what looks like a bogus email address. Some of you might notice that I've been doing that lately. I might also invite them to contact me if the email address they provide doesn't work, or is patently absurd.
My email address, along with AL's and others', can be found over in the right margin. Look for the "The Winds Crew" header. Seek and ye shall find; append @windsofchange.net and there you go.
If my asking for email in public bugs or shames someone, I regret that. My intention is not to throw weight around. I'm just the bartender. But I can't get that guy with the turned-off hearing aid to have a quiet conversation with me without saying "HEY, CAN WE TALK PRIVATELY?" loud enough for the whole barroom to hear.
If friction continues with little reward, eventually there are predictable consequences.
This blog is not about dramas, even if it's about rhetorical battling as well as intellectual explorations. People who seem to have drama or smug capsule posturing as their objectives will be shown the door soon enough, just as spammers and overt bigots have their posts zapped as promptly as we catch them (believe me, some of those drive-bys I sweep into the dustbin are doozies) .
On the other hand: If you think this blog is an echo chamber already, you can propose a guest entry to AL or me (or any other founder or Marshal). You could win a chance to be Dictator for Life of your very own comments thread and subvert the dominant paradigm here among the wingnuts [sic]. The power is breathtaking :) .
But to do that... you'll need to be able to carry on an email conversation with us. Are you up to it? I invite you to be upstanding.
(Thanks to AMac, celebrim, Mr Blue and Glen among others, for motivating me to post this)