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Bi-Weekly Discussion - Outrage in the Digital Age

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Brian B.
Bi-Weekly Discussion - Outrage in the Digital Age

Details

We're currently hosting our discussions at Café Walnut, near the corner of 7th & Walnut in Olde City, just across the street from Washington Square Park. The cafe's entrance is below street level down some stairs, which can be confusing if it's your first time. Our group meets in the large room upstairs.

Since we're using the cafe's space, they ask that each person attending the meetup at least purchase a drink or snack. Please don't bring any food or drinks from outside.

The cafe is fairly easy to get to if you're using public transit. With SEPTA, take the Market-Frankford Line & get off at the 5th Street Station (corner of 5th & Market), and walk 2 blocks south on 5th and then turn right on Walnut Street and walk 2 blocks west. With PATCO, just get off at the 9th-10th & Locust stop and walk 3 blocks east & 1 block north. For those who are driving, parking in the neighborhood can be tough to find. If you can't find a spot on the street, I'd suggest parking in the Washington Square parking deck at 249 S 6th Street which is just a half block away.

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MORAL OUTRAGE IN THE DIGITAL AGE:

INTRODUCTION:

It seems that moral outrage has become more common in today's world. In part, this is probably due to growing political polarization that makes us see the moral issues very differently from each other, but it also appears to be due to the competitive climate of the 24-hour news cycle and the way the news media uses controversy to attract viewers, as well as the dynamics of social media that make outrageous content more likely to go viral. Of course, outrage can sometimes be useful for motivating activists to push for necessary social reforms, but it can also act as a distraction from productive activism and in other cases it can promote violent outbursts and a backlash among the general public once social conflict becomes too disruptive.

So how should we make sense of all of this? Does outrage addiction threaten our social fabric? Is there a balanced way to advocate for social reforms that doesn't result in a moral panic? And is there still a place for forgiveness and humor in the "age of outrage"? We'll explore these topics in this discussion...

RELATED MATERIAL FROM PREVIOUS MEETUPS:

Two meetups ago, we discussed a variety of "intellectual virtues" that would be useful for people who want to cultivate a balanced & rational approach to politics. In the 4th section of the discussion, we addressed the virtue of "equanimity" - i.e. emotional self-control - and we discussed it's relation to "civility" and several tools for constructive political debates. However, we noted that there's often a need to balance civility with bluntness & firmness. We must avoid the type of civility where norm violations are allowed because calling them out would seem uncivil; and conversely, we want to precent civility from becoming a form of "political correctness" that stifles open dialogue. There's also sometimes a danger in being civil to belligerent opponents, since instead of calming them down our civility may be mistaken for weakness.
https://www.meetup.com/Philadelphia-Political-Agnostics/events/dxmsjqyzcbkc/

In our last meetup, we looked at the research on the so-called "dark arts" of political persuasion, in particular as they're used in the news media, political campaigns, social media stealth campaigns, and political debates & speeches. Political scientists have found that people tend to overestimate the ability of political propaganda to change minds, not realizing how difficult that is in a highly polarizes electorate where very few people are willing to change sides. However, we also discussed how negative ads may serve another purpose in a polarized environment - i.e. they can sometimes increase turnout for one's own side by scaring voters into thinking that "this is the most important election in your lifetime."
https://www.meetup.com/Philadelphia-Political-Agnostics/events/258025617/

The Skeptics had a meetup back in July of 2018 entitled "Memes, Trends & Cultural Evolution". In the 3rd section we discussed Elisabeth Noelle-Neumann's "spiral of silence" theory and Nicholas Nassim Taleb's "minority rule" theory and how they use different mechanics to explain how highly vocal activists can force society to accommodate their social preferences. In the 4th section, we discussed how fake news & outrageous internet memes tend to go viral by grabbing our attention & provoking our emotions.
https://www.meetup.com/Philly-Skeptics/events/251486560/

In May of 2017, we had a meetup entitled "The Tactics & Patterns of Political Violence" - in Part 1 we discussed Herbert Haines' theory of positive & negative "radical flank effects" - i.e. a certain amount of radical agitation can push society into working with moderate reformers, but when radical action turns to terrorism & riots it can cause a backlash effect on public opinion that results in the election of "law & order" candidates and law enforcement crackdowns.
https://www.meetup.com/Philadelphia-Political-Agnostics/events/239786314/

Way back in June of 2016, we had a meetup on "cultural libertarians" - a term for a loose coalition of groups that oppose the left-wing activists known as "Social Justice Warriors" (SJWs). We discussed various reasons that people may oppose SJWs, among them "reactance" (i.e. resentment towards perceived threats towards one's freedom or autonomy), the realization that apologies will be met with punishment instead of forgiveness, and a sense of injustice when people are treated harshly for minor offenses. We also discussed the "Benign [Norm] Violation Theory" of comedy to explain why some people prefer satire to outrage as a form of social critique.
https://www.meetup.com/Philadelphia-Political-Agnostics/events/pgdfslyvjbpb/

DIRECTIONS ON HOW TO PREPARE FOR OUR DISCUSSION:

The videos & articles you see linked below are intended to give you a basic overview of some of the major debates over online outrage cycles and how they're affecting our politics & society. As usual, I certainly don't expect you to read all the articles & watch all the videos prior to attending our discussion. The easiest way to prepare for our discussion is to just watch the numbered videos linked under each section - the videos come to about about 51 minutes total. The articles marked with asterisks are just there to supply additional details. You can browse and look at whichever ones you want, but don't worry - we'll cover the stuff you missed in our discussion.

In terms of the discussion format, my general idea is that we'll address the topics in the order presented here. I figure we'll spend about 30 minutes on each section.

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I. THE PSYCHOLOGY OF MORAL OUTRAGE:

  • WHAT PSYCHOLOGICAL THEORIES EXPLAIN MORAL OUTRAGE & HOW DO THEY RELATE TO THEORIES OF PUNISHMENT?
  • HOW DO THE SOURCES OF OUTRAGE DIFFER DEPENDING ON A PERSON'S MORAL FOUNDATIONS & POLITICAL ORIENTATION?
  • IS OUTRAGE BECOMING MORE COMMON? IF SO, IS IT DUE TO THE NEWS MEDIA, SOCIAL MEDIA, POLITICAL POLARIZATION, OR SOMETHING ELSE?
  • WHY ARE OUTRAGEOUS STORIES, VIDEOS & MEMES MORE LIKELY TO GO VIRAL ONLINE?
  • IS THERE SOMETHING ADDICTIVE ABOUT OUTRAGE?
  • DOES VENTING OUR ANGER LEAD TO CATHARSIS OR MAKE IT WORSE?
  • IS IT PSYCHOLOGICALLY HARMFUL FOR INDIVIDUALS TO FREQUENTLY EXPERIENCE OUTRAGE?
  • IS IT SOCIALLY HARMFUL FOR DEMOCRACIES TO FREQUENTLY EXPERIENCE WAVES OF OUTRAGE?

1a) Molly Crockett, "How Morally Outraged Are You? Well, That Depends on Who’s Watching" (video - 4:55 min.)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e7iiLbr28eQ

1b) CGP Grey, "This Video Will Make You Angry" (video - 7:25 minutes)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rE3j_RHkqJc

II. OUTRAGE CYCLES, INTERNET ACTIVISM & POLITICAL CHANGE:

  • DOES OUTRAGE INCREASE TURNOUT AT POLITICAL PROTESTS & AT THE POLLS?
  • HOW DO "MORAL ENTREPRENEURS" STIR UP & HARNESS PUBLIC OUTRAGE TO PUSH THEIR POLITICAL AGENDA?
  • IS IT USEFUL TO BORROW CONCEPTS FROM ECONOMICS LIKE "MORAL CURRENCY" & "MORAL INNOVATION" TO HELP US UNDERSTAND SOCIAL REFORM MOVEMENTS?
  • WHY DO SOME ACTIVISTS CREATE LASTING CHANGES IN SOCIETY'S NORMS WHEREAS OTHER SUCCEED ONLY IN GENERATING A BRIEF SPIKE IN ACTIVISM THAT EVENTUALLY FIZZLES?
  • WHY DOES ACTIVISM OCCASIONALLY LEAD TO "MORAL PANICS" - I.E. PUBLIC OUTCRY OVER TINY OR NON-EXISTENT RISKS?
  • DOES PUBLIC OUTRAGE & DEMAND TO "DO SOMETHING" IN THE WAKE OF A TRAGIC INCIDENT USUALLY RESULT IN BENEFICIAL LEGISLATION OR BAD LAWS WITH UNFORESEEN CONSEQUENCES?
  • IS OUTRAGE OVER ANY ONE EVENT BECOMING MORE EPHEMERAL & LESS IMPORTANT AS OUR ATTENTION IS CONTINUALLY DIVERTED TO THE NEXT OUTRAGEOUS INCIDENT?
  • SHOULD ACTIVISTS CONCENTRATE MORE ON CHANGING LAWS & FORMAL STRUCTURES OR CHANGING PULIC OPINION & INFORMAL NORMS?
  • CAN ACTIVIST OUTRAGE CAUSE A "RADICAL FLANK EFFECT" THAT GIVES MODERATE REFORMERS MORE LEVERAGE IN POLITICAL BARGAINS, OR IS IT LIKELY TO BACKFIRE & LEAD TO A CRACKDOWN?
  • CAN ACTIVIST OUTRAGE CAUSE A BACKFIRE EFFECT IN PUBLIC OPINION? IF SO, WHEN & WHY?

2a) Alice Dreger, "The problem with moral outrage on the internet" (video - 3:28 min.)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZCmS5FaSDJ0

2b) Rebecca Traister, "Can Women’s Anger Save America?" (video - 2:17 min.)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EUF_i6eJ5Fk

2c) PBS w/ Zeynep Tufekci, "How online social movements translate to offline results" (video - 8:25 min.)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_DTOc1uMOIU

III. THE STRATEGY & ETHICS OF SHAMING, APOLOGIES & FORGIVENESS:

  • ARE PUBLIC SHAMING & PUBLIC APOLOGIES HELPFUL IN SHIFTING NORMS?
  • WHAT PENALTIES SHOULD WRONG-DOERS SUFFER FOR BEHAVIOR THAT WAS OFFENSIVE BUT NON-CRIMINAL? WHAT ABOUT BEHAVIOR THAT WAS ACCEPTABLE AT THE TIME BUT IS CONSIDERED OFFENSIVE NOW THAT NORMS HAVE CHANGED?
  • SHOULD WE TREAT THE SHAMING OF PUBLIC OFFICIALS & CELEBRITIES DIFFERENTLY THAN PRIVATE CITIZENS?
  • WHAT SORTS OF SHAMING SHOULD BE CONSIDERED LIBEL/SLANDER OR HARASSMENT?
  • IS IT ENOUGH TO EXTRACT A PUBLIC APOLOGY FROM SOMEONE, OR SHOULD THEY HAVE TO PERFORM SOME SORT OF PENANCE OR MAKE AMENDS? SHOULD WE MERELY DEMAND THAT THEY STEP DOWN FROM A POSITION OF AUTHORITY, OR SHOULD WE HOUND THEM OUT OF EVEN A MUNDANE JOB?
  • HOW CAN WE DETERMINE IF AN APOLOGY SHOWS SINCERE CONTRITION AS OPPOSED TO MERELY ENGAGING IN "DAMAGE CONTROL"?
  • WHY DO YOU THINK WE SEE "NON-APOLOGIES" (E.G. "I'M SORRY IF YOU WERE OFFENDED" OR "MISTAKES WERE MADE") SO OFTEN FROM POLITICIANS WHO ARE CAUGHT IN SCANDALS? IS IT BECAUSE A REAL APOLOGY WOULD BE TOO COSTLY?
  • UNDER WHAT CONDITIONS IS IT STRATEGICALLY BETTER TO REFUSE TO APOLOGIZE?
  • UNDER WHAT CONDITIONS SHOULD PEOPLE BE FORGIVEN & HOW SHOULD THEY BE REINTEGRATED INTO "POLITE SOCIETY"?
  • CAN THE "TIT-FOT-TAT" STRATEGY FROM GAME THEORY SUGGEST HOW WE SHOULD BALANCE PUNISHMENT & FORGIVENESS TO AVOID ESCALATING CYCLES OF RETALIATION?

3a) CBS w/ Jon Ronson, "The phenomenon of Internet shaming" (video - 5:24 min.)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OnMOtK_R0Ck

3b) Ana Kasparian, "Should We Accept Kevin Hart's Apology?" (video - 7:20 min, start at 3:29)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bR-Yr3FqG9w&t=3m29s

IV. THE PSYCHOLOGY & ETHICS OF COMEDY IN THE AGE OF OUTRAGE:

  • HOW DO "SUPERIORITY THEORY" (MOCKING) & "BENIGN VIOLATION THEORY" (DEFUSING SOCIAL TENSIONS) EXPLAIN DIFFERENT TYPES OF POLITICAL COMEDY?
  • IS IT OKAY TO "PUNCH UP" BUT NOT TO "PUNCH DOWN" WITH COMEDY?
  • IS COMEDY BETTER THAN OUTRAGE IN SHIFTING SOCIAL NORMS?
  • WHY ISN'T THERE AS MUCH POLITICAL SATIRE FROM CONSERVATIVES AS FROM LIBERALS?
  • DOES THE RELENTLESS MOCKERY OF TRUMP BY LATE-NIGHT COMEDIANS HELP US KEEP HIS ABNORMAL BEHAVIOR IN PERSPECTIVE?
  • DO LATE-NIGHT COMEDIANS MAKE LIBERALS TOO "SMUG" & ALIENATE CONSERVATIVES BY DIRECTING ALMOST ALL OF THEIR SATIRE TOWARDS THE RIGHT?
  • ARE THE COMEDIANS COMPLAINING ABOUT "POLITICAL CORRECTNESS" ACTUALLY BEING CENSORED OR JUST CRITICIZED FOR OUT-DATED MATERIAL?
  • HOW SOON IS "TOO SOON" TO JOKE ABOUT A TRAGIC EVENT?
  • SHOULD THERE BE SOME TABOO TOPICS WE CAN NEVER JOKE ABOUT?

4a) ReasonTV, "Comedy, Outrage, and College: What We Saw at the 'Can We Take a Joke?' Premiere" (video - 3:19 min.)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GJQun_BAwoY

4b) WSJ w/ Alan Miller, "When Does Political Satire Go Too Far?" (video - 6:50 min.)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pclrJT6ZHXs

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Cafe Walnut
703 Walnut Street · Philadelphia, PA
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