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AnSionnachRua  ·  4277 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: SXSW and Reddits Introspection Problem

For me, the worst thing is that Reddit users, judging by their posts, have a tendency to assume that they are more intelligent, more rational, and more open-minded than the average person - when really they're just not. Watson's dual example of skepticism brings the point home, really - many redditors (especially the super-atheist) variety assert a greater level of supposed skepticism, but really they're skeptical about some things (God, Kony) and entirely driven by their own biases with regard to others (rape victimhood).

I hate it when people assert that they are open-minded, because they almost never are. And anyway, I think "open-mindedness" can't be regarded as a static quality that people possess in a more or lesser degree but a mental practice - sometimes people think in a mind-opening way, and often they keep their mind closed.