Funny Angry Boring

Putting the cacophony in our heads into words is hard. Reading a recording of what you have said can make anyone seem like they struggle to put sentences together. This is hardly surprising when we actually try put sentences together, and are able to write and rewrite until we are vaguely happy with what we have said. We also have the advantage of non-verbal communication when we speak. We can see if an idea is taking root or if we need to change our choice of soil. It is one of the reasons Virginia Postrel (@vpostrel) argues decision making works best when it is pushed down to the front lines. Sometimes we understand things before we can put it into words. In fact, we aren't able to communicate that tacit knowledge - but we can act on it.

I find the cacophony outside our heads fascinating too. The process of fleshing out ideas is similar. We have the angry people. The funny people. The politically correct people. The people who don't actually care. Then we have the weirdos who seem to know exactly what will get under everyone's skin and so they do that intentionally - the Trolls. With our own thoughts we have to learn how to control the noise and decide how to act. We can be kind and recognise certain thoughts as not being how we feel. Apparently 'Everyone's a little bit racist', sexist and biased about those exhibiting other sexual preferences - see Harvard's Project Implicit. Learning to acknowledge and work out biases is how we are kind to our thoughts and don't have to identify with them.

Seeing the responses to Emma Watson's UN speech have been interesting.

From a Feminist:'Black Girl Dangerous' Mia McKenzie

From a self declared 'Godless, Gay, Troll' against Feminism:http://youtu.be/BevwBz2BTnw

I think humour has its role. It allows us to say things with the explicit understanding that we don't necessarily agree with what we are saying. It gives us an out. The other option is that you talk in a politically correct way trying to upset no one. That doesn't help because you will always upset someone so basically the only way to be politically correct is to shut up. The second response above appears to be more in the funny category and the first more in the angry category, but they both have clearly marked sides. There seems to be an attempt to have to either agree or disagree. To pick a camp.

Bill Clinton recently said "I actually think we're less racist, less sexist, less homophobic than we used to be. I think our big problem today is we don't want to be around anybody who disagrees with us. And I think that in some ways can be the worst silo of all to be held up in".

There are lots of things that need solving. In the past communication was incredibly hard so we formed groups to solve issues and raise awareness. Groups are hard to form and they are awesome to be a part of, so once the group is established they take on a life of their own. Our ideas can then morph to try be a part of the group. 

I think it would be great if we could shift away from groups now that it is easier to coordinate around memes - all you need to do is throw some ice-water over your head. Then you need some people to actually do something, which we are getting better at too - e.g. http://www.gatesfoundation.org/

Here is one thing I think Emma, Justicar and Mia would all agree on (and it is not about what a group should be called)...

In the end, whether we are Funny, Angry or Boring - we do seem to be moving forward.