Information Rage?

Events occurring and how they relate/affect Anabaptist faith and culture.
GaryK
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Re: Information Rage?

Post by GaryK »

I'm wondering if PeterG isn't pointing out that when we (in Christ's Kingdom) see/hear people in a secular society involved in denouncing and threatening each other and saying all kinds of "horrible" things, that's par for the course. That's part of the other kingdom. Why use social media to point out how "terrible" our society has gotten? Perhaps trying to address people's heart issues is a better and more Kingdom-minded way to effect change in our society.

That's what I'm getting from his posts, but I could very well be mistaken.
Last edited by GaryK on Thu Jun 22, 2017 3:12 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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MaxPC
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Re: Information Rage?

Post by MaxPC »

appleman2006 wrote: Peter do you not believe there is a vast difference between expressing disapproval of someone or someone's actions and basically wishing out loud that they were dead or that calamity would hit them?
I think there is a huge difference and to equate the two is not really fair.
And in my case it's an emotion of shock and distress that such hostility and verbal violence is so prevalent recently. Naturally I want to help improve the conditions but I avoid social media such as Facebook, tweeting or other venues. Far too much time gets away from us in those venues. I do well enough to keep up with email and this good forum.

So how can we be salt and light without having to take time away from family to wade through the viciousness?
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KingdomBuilder
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Re: Information Rage?

Post by KingdomBuilder »

Trying to be salt and light over social media amidst national "issues" seems futile. I think it more worthwhile and realistic to be salt and light in real personable ways.
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appleman2006
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Re: Information Rage?

Post by appleman2006 »

GaryK wrote:I'm wondering if PeterG isn't pointing out that when we (in Christ's Kingdom) see/hear people in a secular society involved in denouncing and threatening each other and saying all kinds of "horrible" things, that's par for the course. That's part of the other kingdom. Why use social media to point out how "terrible" our society has gotten? Perhaps trying to address people's heart issues is a better and more Kingdom-minded way to effect change in our society.

That's what I'm getting from his posts, but I could very well be mistaken.
That is a fair comment. I agree that too much time can be spent discussing the negative things of what happens in society at large. But when things happen that I do not believe are even par for the course by worldly standards I think it is alright to express shock and dismay.
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appleman2006
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Re: Information Rage?

Post by appleman2006 »

KingdomBuilder wrote:Trying to be salt and light over social media amidst national "issues" seems futile. I think it more worthwhile and realistic to be salt and light in real personable ways.
I agree to a certain extent. My FB accounts and twitter accounts have relatively little in that line and even less as time goes on. I view this site a bit different as I see it as a place to discuss all manner of topics not in the hopes of changing society as a whole but to compare ideas and find out how other people that are at least hopefully likeminded in most ways view stuff.

What I learned from this conversation is that some of you simply prefer not to talk about such things and that is fine. Others of you may of become so used to it that it does not really shock you at all and that may be a bit more disturbing. Not in regards to you but rather that we really have dropped to that low a standard in society.

So has this discussion been useful. Perhaps a bit to me. :)
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Bootstrap
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Re: Information Rage?

Post by Bootstrap »

MaxPC wrote:And in my case it's an emotion of shock and distress that such hostility and verbal violence is so prevalent recently.
Indeed. We need to be outraged against all those other people ... after all, THEY are the people who are fueling the rage, not us.

Oops. Aren't we contributing to the problem when we focus on the events that lead to information rage? Why not focus on the bipartisanship displayed in announcements and in the baseball game? Or at the very least, if you want to point out information rage, why not point it out on both sides of the aisle?

One of the best ways to fuel information rage is to point out how everyone else is fueling it. If we're serious about this issue, we need to stop fanning those flames.
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Bootstrap
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Re: Information Rage?

Post by Bootstrap »

appleman2006 wrote:What I learned from this conversation is that some of you simply prefer not to talk about such things and that is fine. Others of you may of become so used to it that it does not really shock you at all and that may be a bit more disturbing. Not in regards to you but rather that we really have dropped to that low a standard in society.
Most of the time, this kind of discussion is simply letting the media manipulate us, letting the media make us feel constantly a little outraged and aggrieved, fueling partisan hostility. It's not just them, it's us.
PeterG wrote:I'm afraid that (a) the professor's statements, (b) the news report, (c) this thread, and (d) this post are not as different from each other as we might wish.

"Just look as those bad people! Please join me in my disapproval of them."
Exactly.
MaxPC wrote:Query: what are some practical actions can we as Christians do in real time to set a better example without having to wade through the sludge of social media so to speak?
Stop posting stuff from social media and mainstream media in ways that fuel this kind of outrage. Assume that much of what they are reporting probably isn't true anyway. Ask yourself how the things you are posting will make other people feel, and decide not to fuel outrage and hostility. Focus on the Kingdom of God and what we are going to do.
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appleman2006
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Re: Information Rage?

Post by appleman2006 »

Bootstrap wrote:
MaxPC wrote:And in my case it's an emotion of shock and distress that such hostility and verbal violence is so prevalent recently.
Indeed. We need to be outraged against all those other people ... after all, THEY are the people who are fueling the rage, not us.

Oops. Aren't we contributing to the problem when we focus on the events that lead to information rage? Why not focus on the bipartisanship displayed in announcements and in the baseball game? Or at the very least, if you want to point out information rage, why not point it out on both sides of the aisle?

One of the best ways to fuel information rage is to point out how everyone else is fueling it. If we're serious about this issue, we need to stop fanning those flames.
Again no one here was fueling rage as I see it anyway. Rather alarm was being expressed at how people express rage now days especially supposedly responsible people like university professors.

Are you saying it is even wrong to express dismay that such things happen. Sorry I just do not get the "outrage" being expressed against those of us that have expressed dismay. Guess I am dismayed at that as well.

If though in fact you have proof this is a fake news story than I will be more than happy to be relieved that in fact people are not that dense.
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ken_sylvania
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Re: Information Rage?

Post by ken_sylvania »

appleman2006 wrote:If though in fact you have proof this is a fake news story than I will be more than happy to be relieved that in fact people are not that dense.
Uh, shouldn't the burden be to prove that the story is true before thinking (or speaking) ill of others? BTW, the individual who Max seems to be referring to insists that he was not saying that the Republicans should have been left to die at the ballfield. I think we would do well to be skeptical when we hear outraged outrageous reports until we have some kind of a confirmation.
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appleman2006
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Re: Information Rage?

Post by appleman2006 »

And just for the record I do not care al all "which side of the aisle" this college professor was on. I would of been equally shocked. That is not what this was about at least I never thought it was. This about a Trinity college professor going crazy on Facebook. The fact that he is a professor and not a student makes it extra horrifying IMO.

And it seems to have been reported by everything from the Blaze to the Washington Post but since I did not actually see the FB post perhaps it is still fake news. :D
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