Are people most emotional about things they least understand? - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

TwitchKitty · #1 12-31-2004, 10:49 PM

Are people most emotional about things they least understand? I notice a lot of emotion expressed in discussions of topics where people are uninformed or misinformed. Do you think that one follows from the other? Maybe partly an expression of frustration. People want to care but are excluded from informed decision making.

azimuth · #2 12-31-2004, 11:58 PM

interesting question twitch. I can say that of the people that i know, the folks who are the most emotional, argue thier positions at a retarded level. That is not to say that i don't get emotional. When i get emotional about a subject, i come back to it later. During the time away, i usually stew on it and mostly can get to the principle of an arguement after the emotion subsides.

on the other hand, with some folks, a little information goes a long way. When they are confronted with an arguement that they cannot, or are too lazy to reasonably counter, they turn to insults and hostility. It is human nature.

i'm not sure, however, that one can draw more than a tacit correlation between the emotional debator and the un/misinformed debator. They seem to have periods of outbursts, but for perhaps different reasons. Either way, when one debates emotionally, one debates with less than his/her potential.

just the observations of a nobody.

boneheaddoctor · #3 01-01-2005, 12:22 AM

Thats obvious........look at all the threads liberals start.......

most of them the liberals are clueless about.

Botnst · #4 01-01-2005, 12:45 AM

Yes.

I mean No.

Wait. Oh golly. I can't make up my mind! Oh no! I'm a failure!!

I think people are most emotional when they're stuck on the cusp of decision.

shane · #5 01-01-2005, 01:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TwitchKitty

Are people most emotional about things they least understand? I notice a lot of emotion expressed in discussions of topics where people are uninformed or misinformed. Do you think that one follows from the other? Maybe partly an expression of frustration. People want to care but are excluded from informed decision making.

People are most emotional about things they feel strongly about. Things they feel strongly about hold deep convictions. Deep convictions can be extreme. Extreme is always easy to rationally criticize.

KirkVining · #6 01-01-2005, 01:34 AM

I hate broad generalizations. the stew of humanity contains any combination of the above.

azimuth · #7 01-01-2005, 01:42 AM

do you hate broad generalizations that also happen to be correct?

KirkVining · #8 01-01-2005, 01:43 AM

I've seen physcists scream at each other over theorems.

azimuth · #9 01-01-2005, 01:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KirkVining

I've seen physcists scream at each other over theorems.

now there's a sight, two nerdy types at each other's necks........at least they're used to cleaning a bloody nose and explaining to mom why thier glasses got broken again......

TwitchKitty · #10 01-01-2005, 11:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KirkVining

I hate broad generalizations. the stew of humanity contains any combination of the above.

I hate the generalizations and absolutes also. We are so bombarded by them I think we grow numb to them. I have to admit I didn't think through the original post, it just kinda fell out of my head. I asked myself the question so I asked the group as well, it was just a question to provoke thought.