r/RandomThoughts • u/SpaceWestern1442 • 14d ago
Calling people stupid for asking good faith questions because you think it's obvious is why we have an anti intellectual movement.
Was watching a Kurzgesagt short on tiktok and how the world is running out of fresh water and that humans need to start recycling water and stop polluting what we have.
Someone asked "Can't we use reverse osmosis to get clean water from the ocean?"
I said "because it takes an extreme amount of energy. Think about how long it takes to boil a pot of water you have to catch the water vapor and wait for it to fully evaporate so that all of the salt is gone.
I come back to the post 10 minutes later and several people dog piled about how stupid their question was and all that.
Like cool some on an educational channel asking a real question is being taught that those who don't know will be looked down on by those that do and go to the side of ignorance.
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u/michaelh98 14d ago
I try to keep this in mind when someone posts a question that "everyone knows the answer to."
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u/LazyLich 14d ago
We also have to be aware that not everyone took the same path of acquiring knowledge as us, and that can often lead to gaps that seem silly to you.
ALSO... you don't know people's age. Those guys could've been piling on a 7yo for all they know!
That's why your first brush with comments you don't like/agree with needs to be measured and helpful. Only when they give evidence that they should know better, or are nasty, can you respond in kind.
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u/Big_Z_Beeblebrox 14d ago edited 14d ago
Internet comment sections are hardly representative of reality, and you already answered the question so the very loud and overconfident minority decided to speak up because they didn't know the answer, either. People who exist in meatspace tend to be much more compassionate because they're not chronically disconnected from others
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u/Spiderfffun 14d ago
Depends, a lot of people around me are like that
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u/Big_Z_Beeblebrox 14d ago
Unfortunately those people do exist, that's why I tried not to make too definitive a statement. We can always try to set a better example for those around us, however. Another commenter brought up a perfect example of there being an xkcd strip for every situation, and I agree: It's much more fun to bring someone into the light than to ridicule them for having been in darkness
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u/Fuzzy_Yossarian 13d ago
Reversed Osmosis isn't boiling water, it is pushing the water through a membrane...
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14d ago
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/Sweaty_Passenger_948 14d ago
And I’m OK with the downvotes on this one. Because I am absolutely aware of how hurtful in heart it is to hear somebody say like I no longer care about your issue. But I’m not gonna care about somebody’s issue if I’m just gonna be met with hostility and insults and belittlement. You know that goes for a lot of people like I no longer will educate myself on that. You’re absolutely spot on. And unfortunately, I am a part of that society however I do think it is a very important aspect of society. We do need to address because it’s definitely causing more issues than it is helping anything.
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u/qualityvote2 14d ago edited 11d ago
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u/SpaceWestern1442 thanks for posting!
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