Learning to let go of the ideological pendulum

Plus bonus points for noticing bad faith behind arguments you quite like

Becoming more independent of thought and opinion is so much harder than it sounds. The internal voice that says 'come on, you know where you stand on this' is remarkably insistent. Even though where you stand on 'this' is heavily dependent on what information you have on 'this' and, obviously, where you already stand on 'that' and 'the other', where that and the other are similar issues. Also known as your inherent biases.

It's interesting to examine this in real time, when something crosses your radar that evokes any kind of strong emotion. This is where I have become much more attuned to the role of what's broadly termed 'mindfulness' in making sense of the world. I’m increasingly thinking that mindfulness is of more value than working out whether things are 'true' or not.

Something I've noticed is a kind of pendulum swing effect, when one begins to question one's previous positions.

For example, you're all-in on 'x' (a moral anchor point or policy objective, for example) but gradually begin to notice some flaws in that position. So you begin to look at the contra-arguments and, before you know it, you're all in on 'y' instead and 'x' seems to be a ridiculous position.

I'm finding this surprisingly difficult to navigate.¹

I was a full on bleeding heart liberal on social issues. But then I began to notice some inconsistencies in social liberal ideology, along with what seem to be really quite toxic and unhelpful positions. Plus a smattering of unevidenced assertions that belonged more appropriately in a religious text than an advanced western society's public discourse.

So I began to look at what the 'other side' (broadly the socially conservative right) were saying. And some of these perspectives seemed valid. Some were obvious bad faith interpretations of things, but not all. There was value in doing this because it helped to 'humanise' a group of people (socially conservative sorts) who I'd previously believed were just stupid or some shade of evil. This was good because some of them were actually my friends.

So far so good. But it’s never that simple.

Next thing I know I'm suddenly feeling all 'anti-woke'.

The stories I'm enjoying are all about how ridiculous American college students are in declaring themselves to feel 'unsafe' in the presence of opinions they don't like. I’m eagerly devouring the most coruscating unpickings of Critical Race Theory assertions. Or taking delight when it turns out that an incident that Slate described as a 'transphobic hoax' was actually a bona fide sex offender waving their penis around in front of women and kids in a spa. (Read about the already surprisingly famous 'Wi Spa controversy' here.)

There's this feeling best described as triumphalism when each blow lands on the ideology you jettisoned five minutes ago.

You have to be really on guard against this, to avoid swerving from being one kind of insufferable prick to being another kind of insufferable prick.

To celebrate a tiny step on the road to avoiding this swerve, here's an example. It's quite depressing, because it's an example of the thing we call the 'culture war' which seems to be entirely founded on both sides by hyper-motivated reasoning and bad faith.

A couple of weeks ago there was a tiny incident that only made news in a handful of minor right wing news outlets. It has since become more prominent as various mainstream sources began to cover it. So you may already be aware of it. And if you are, I'm guessing you'll know exactly where you stand. But, if not, read the following description of the incident and monitor exactly what goes on in your mind. Pay particular attention to any feelings.

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Two white students are accosted by some black students who aren't happy that they're sitting in a space that has been declared 'multicultural'.

The white students are shouted at a lot and told that they aren't welcome in this college space. One of the black students is filming this and one of the white students is filming the black students.

The presence of the white students is described as 'violence' and they are labelled 'offensive'.

The white students eventually leave.

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The first account that I read of this triggers an instant judgement in my mind. 'Oh, here we go, black kids being racist with white kids because it's now ok to be racist if you're black.'

But then I watch the video and it's all so much more subtle than that.

What appears to be happening (in my interpretation) is two groups of students behaving childishly. One of the white students has a 'Police Lives Matter' sticker prominently displayed on a laptop lid. An obviously provocative gesture in this context. Yes, they're kind of asking for negative attention. The black students are showboating, deploying a specific kind of jargon that would make little sense to anyone outside of the culture war.

At one point one of the white students apologises and says that he didn't mean to cause offence with his sticker. This is implausible, given the cultural headwinds on American campuses. He knows what he's doing. He's trolling the black students.

What is not at issue in this piece is whether one side is right and the other is wrong. To me, both sides seem to be high on their own supply of moral certitude.

What this entire vignette appears to be is a performance. I even half expect a revelation sometime later that it has been a stunt.

I feel sad for them all. Presumably bright kids who aren't getting along because each is infused with righteous indignation.

There are many different ways that this could have played out. Some end in property damage or physical injury. Others end in a quiet conversation and a negotiation.

Both sides could have made their points differently

But how it actually went down is bad faith meeting bad faith.

For the purpose of gaining attention on social media (a theme that will recur in Rarely Certain as I become more convinced that information platforms are shaping us more than the ideas shared on them).

But I'm glad of one thing. For all my initial desire to have my misgivings about social justice activism reinforced, I've spotted that prejudice in time to approach the story dispassionately.

It's not as much fun as taking sides. But I have to say I'm preferring the version of me who feels compassion for everyone in this scene than the one who chooses a team and sticks with it in the culture war.

Watch the video for yourself here.

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The future of Rarely Certain

Firstly, it’s here to stay. What started out as a test to see if anyone might be interested in a slightly different approach to making sense of what feel like crazy times now has a reasonable mailing list. And a majority of recipients who are reading it.

I’m thrilled about that. Partly because I enjoy writing it for actual readers and partly because there is a lot more to come, which won’t be disappearing into a readerless void.

Your support is really appreciated, whether you are parting with money or not.

But if you are parting with money, starting in October you’ll get every post. Free subscribers will not receive every post. I intend to invest more time and effort in the paid posts, otherwise paying subscribers aren’t really getting any benefit.

I’m also thinking about ways to offer paid subscriptions in return for something other than money. So, if you’re enjoying Rarely Certain but don’t feel like paying one euro per week for it (not criticising - I don’t pay for all my subscriptions either) I’m thinking of requesting various bits of research in return for a paid subscription. More on this in October.

1. Mentioned previously in Rarely Certain - how difficult it is to just observe, rather than take part in the culture war

Picture credit: Gerd Altmann