Just caught up on this thread, then checked facebook where the pastor of our church recently posted this quote:
"I am sick of opinions.
Give me a humble, gentle lover of God and man, a man full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality or hypocrisy. Bigotry is too strong an attachment to our own creed or opinion. How unwilling men are to allow anything good in those who do not agree with them in all things. We must not narrow the cause of God to our own beliefs, but rejoice in goodness wherever it appears." - John Wesley
Wesley was big into reasoned investigation, as well, and wrote a book on electricity which Franklin read... He was one of those who ended up believing that Nature was a revelation of God. Disclaimer - I was raised a Methodist.
Sounds like Wesley was keenly aware of the idea of confirmation bias long before it was formally defined.
I wouldnt say all gaming boards lean left - I'm a member of a big historical wargaming board where the mood is decidedly conservative. And by conservative I mean I'm seen as a moderate if not left-leaning. There is a guy on that board who in a welfare thread actually posted a picture of a lion taking down a young gazelle to illustrate how he feels the same way about kids on food stamps. Sucks to be them but you shouldn't stand in the way of natural selection. Granted he's one of the extremists but a lot of guys fall into the "taxes are theft" and "American society is going to hell in a hand basket" category. I may be right leaning but I don't consider my self a total self-absorbed a hole, so I actually get in way more fights over there than I do here.
As far as GWJ goes, I'll say there is both a negative and positive side of P&C. I don't think it's a stretch to say that it can be tough to be right leaning on these boards. And it's not just me- when I posted the "conservatives let us chat" thread, I got at least five PMs from conservative board members who said they would love to participate but didn't particularly feel safe posting.
On the positive side, I've had a lot of fun in games and at S&Ts wiith people I don't agree with politically. I've also been able to send PMs when things escalate and been able to walk away on better terms. The one time I did that on the other board I was pretty much told to take a midol and grab a helmet.
I think this thread has run its course.
Pages