This week I lost an online friend.
I'm not sure why, but I suspect it had to do with my rant about global warming.
He's much more of a libertarian, and I guess, though I don't have evidence for my guess, that he thought my opinions were a. hysterical, b. uninformed, c. unsupported by evidence.
I have read enough on the topic to believe that he is, franchment, incorrect. But did I need to get as bent out of shape as I did on the subject? Should I have used more persuasive, logical prose in hopes of creating a dialogue?
Should I, in other words, have allowed room for those who believe climate change isn't happening, that it's a natural, not a man-made happening, or that, worse, it's a hoax perpetrated by the scientific community?
So let's say that I believe that no reasonable person can fail to acknowledge the reality of global weirding -- and he believes the opposite. Does that mean we cannot be friends?
Do you have issues that you feel very strongly about? Do you speak of them with passion?
Have they caused breaches between you and people you thought were your pals?
Which begs the whole question of what it means to be someone's "friend" online, and how genuine that really is.
But let's not argue about it, OK? I'm open to persuasion.
3 commentaires:
Big arguments tend to follow Libertarians around, especially if they're of the "privatise the sidewalks" kind.
I do believe online friendships can be genuine, and so it's sad to lose a friend. But sometimes ideologies can come between us. I've never lost a friend over such things but sometimes I've just had to joke my way past it.
I've been blogging for two years, and readers come and go. Some return, others don't. Some have stuck around the whole time. Online relationships are ephemeral. Stick to your guns. Speak what you believe, and attract the readers who share your views.
Or who at least can debate you and respect your views without throwing a tantrum and running away for good. (A few bloggers have done that to me! My kids think it's funny that some bloggers are middle-aged single parents who act like they're in middle school)
was this a formal breakup? Maybe they are doing research on the points you made, maybe their computer crashed. If you did say " no reasonable person..." then you in effect have ended any discussion, because any point they make you would consider to be unreasoned...so what is the point. For me...I have a foot in both camps...climate weirding, as you put it, is a natural process, and mankind is speeding it up. Also it would not be the first time the scientific community did not get things quite right.
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