Outrage Versus Dialogue

<jats:title>Abstract</jats:title> <jats:p>This chapter begins by exploring some of the structural forces that frustrate effective communication across divides today: namely, algorithmic manipulation of what media we consume, designed not to inform but rather to maximize engagement with its platform. It argues that several features of today’s media work in tandem to frustrate potential dialogue: speed, isolation, advertising pressure, anonymity, and interactivity. It then moves on to discuss “conversation stoppers”: phrases that effectively turn people off and halt dialogue. They do so in a variety of ways: by prematurely assuming the debate is settled, by double-counting arguments, by presumptuously claiming to know the arguer’s mind, and by insulting their integrity. The main one considered is “That’s just your opinion”; the author argues that the fact/opinion distinction is not well defined, and that those who assert it often conflate it with other distinctions in the vicinity.</jats:p>