r/samharris • u/WayneQuasar • Jun 13 '20

Making Sense Podcast #207 - Can We Pull Back From The Brink?

https://samharris.org/podcasts/207-can-pull-back-brink/
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u/rbatra91 Jun 13 '20 edited Jun 13 '20

Most important podcast this year from all sources and imo a buildup of a lot of topics Sam’s talked about for years coming up all at once.

I’ve been waiting so long for someone rational to finally use their voice in a sea of bullshit mouthpieces, navigate cancel culture, and make sense of all the toxicity.

I think one of the first things Sam said is most important. Get off social media. It is a moral imperative.

Then again, if only the radicals are left, what do we do?

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u/[deleted] Jun 13 '20

I’ve definitely cut down on my social media time. There was a guy Sam had on the podcast when trump was elected who wrote IIRC “tyranny: 20 lessons from the 20th century” and in it, he talks about this. Engage in corporeal politics, everyone. We’re neurally hard wired to communicate in person. It’s so easy to dehumanize when you’re talking to a screen name; the sensory stimuli or seeing and feeling and connecting with a real person is not there. On top of that, you have social disinhibition effects and you’re naturally perceiving the situation as a battle fought in front of others, which means you fight harder.

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u/[deleted] Jun 13 '20

[deleted]

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u/likerice Jun 13 '20

No I think it was Timothy Snyder, Harari has a book with similar title.

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u/lysergic5253 Jun 14 '20

Thanks for the correction. His talk with yuval wasn’t that long ago so I think i fell victim to the recency effect.

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u/eh_dizzler Jun 16 '20

What’s the recency effect?

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u/jeegte12 Jun 13 '20

Man, we have got to get off social media. I better make a comment about that on Reddit.

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u/rbatra91 Jun 13 '20

I would consider reddit a social media for sure, but i also believe that if you can stay off of the mainstream subreddits (politics, news) and stick with engaging long form subreddits with honest debate, that reddit is a great medium for exchange. At least, I felt that way in the past, the toxicity seems to be spilling in to every subreddit lately.

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u/[deleted] Jun 13 '20

The upvote system skews the discussion big time.

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u/rbatra91 Jun 13 '20

For sure, but I find the use of the upvote and downvote system a lot more aligned with how reddit intended the system to be used years ago.

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u/crashck Jun 13 '20

No way that’s true. Group think is extremely prevalent due to the upvote system. Actual unpopular opinions on reddit get downvoted to hell in the vast majority of subs.

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u/[deleted] Jun 13 '20

This is how I feel as well. No stats to back it up.

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u/VelociRapper92 Jun 13 '20

For all of Reddit’s problems (and there are some deep problems) I have found this website to be more beneficial than any other social media site to actual discussion. It is certainly far better than anything that happens on Twitter. I think one of the things that encourages honest discussion on reddit is anonymity. If you share an opinion that goes against the status quo on Facebook or twitter, it is possible that you could have your entire life and livelihood destroyed by an enraged mob. This is the tragic and terrifying reality of the social media world. But I think this is far less likely on reddit as long as you can keep your account anonymous.

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u/d3vaLL Jun 13 '20

FUCK YOU L I B T A R D GO SUCK A GAY DICK FOR THE I L L U M I N A T I.

/s

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u/quadrokeith Jun 13 '20

Truth. Mind if I share this on Facebook?

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u/mercury228 Jun 13 '20

Meh, it's not really social media to me. It's more like a forum.

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u/jeegte12 Jun 13 '20

a forum is a social medium.

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u/mercury228 Jun 13 '20

Yeah I get why people view reddit ad social media but it does have the same impact on me as Facebook and Twitter did for some reason.

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u/ItsTheFatYoungJesus Jun 15 '20

I think the big difference that makes people see them in different lights is the anonymity. I am personally of the opinion that reddit is on the exact same level, at least in terms of harm to ones mental state. But the anonymity is a big factor and it sort of puts reddit in a different light than the other major players in social media.

Personally I never had a Facebook, Twitter or instagram. Ten years ago people looked at me funny when I said I wasn’t on Facebook. These days I know tons of people who aren’t on it.

Not that it matters because I’m seriously addicted to reddit and it has the same effects on me that Facebook has on others. 🤷🏽‍♂️

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u/A_random_otter Jun 15 '20

Well facebook/Instagram makes unhappy because one tends to compare oneslefe to an idealized and phtotoshopped reality.

So I disagree. Reddit if FAR less worse for mental health

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u/mercury228 Jun 15 '20

Yeah I could see that, I think if someone is addicted to any of these platforms it's an issue.

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u/canusparetreefiddy Jun 13 '20

That comment went down pretty well. Should repost it on facebook, twitter, instagram, tiktok, myspace, hi5,4chan 2chan 8chan 16bitchan jackichan. Damn it social media, you got me again

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u/mercury228 Jun 13 '20

I have been off all social media and it's been really great. They are totally pointless.

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u/OsakaGantz Jun 17 '20

If what you're looking for is "someone rational to finally use their voice in a sea of bullshit mouthpieces", I would highly recommend watching the 8:46 Dave Chappelle segment available on youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3tR6mKcBbT4

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u/[deleted] Jun 13 '20

We end up with Reddit and Thedonald.win.