There is a book called “On Being Certain”, by Robert A Burton who’s a neurologist, discussing how we know what we know. He postulates that the sense of “conviction” has less to do with objective reality and far more to do with “a feeling of knowing.” He also suggests that we are far less self-aware than we think we are.
People see a different viewpoint and their body reactively brings up all the conditioning received from popular advice. Instinctively, they hit the downvote button, thinking that they are rightfully decreasing the noise of a dangerous idea and protecting the less aware.
Most people aren’t interested in debate nor challenging the reality they find themselves in, or even the framing and interpretation of that reality.
Is lemmy supposed to be better then other social media?
How do we make lemmy a more thoughtful place? Or how do we create meaningful spaces on lemmy for thoughtful discussion of opposing views?
As a carnivore on lemmy, I have a similar experience! It’s a really good example you bring up, things people have strong visceral feelings about often get emotional reactions and are very difficult to discuss productively on lemmy with respect for people who have made different choices.
How can we bridge the gap so that we can speak about these sensitive subjects without people feeling like monsters, or being subjected to pejoratives ?