There’s a selective focus because of social media and real-time coverage of these incidences. I wonder to what extent the problem really exists on college campuses, because I’ve never seen any of the outrage or riots at any campus I’ve taught at or given talks. You never see anything. Most of the time it’s just people and students doing their thing. It’s a minority, but they’re LOUD, and they’re instantly covered. So it SEEMS like, based on the coverage, that I should expect to walk onto a campus and see rioting everywhere. In reality, you don’t see anything. There’s the idea of pluralistic ignorance or the “spiral of silence” where a minority or toxic ideology can take over a country (like Germany). —Michael Shermer (paraphrased)
Global phenomenon of people getting outraged over small things.
Amy Chua says later on here. (Another Paraphrase) When you do get attacked by those blinded by outrage it’s easy to feel insulted, feel like you’ve been attacked, and to make that person or group your enemy and “hate back!” It is perhaps better to “turn the other cheek”.
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