LOL, indigo... I don't know but this sounds a lot like what the author is railing against in the article and in the interview I saw with the author of another article in the same vein and quoted in this one - Caitlyn Flanagan!
I had the same thought, reading this, Irena.
Can you clarify? What points, specifically, do you see a connection between?
I can't imagine being offended by someone "hating" a book, or expressing themselves via emotional language about a book, or even wanting to be in a book group where one had to "filter" to avoid being blackballed or bullied via social disapproval.
Is it possible that some may see the strong and emotional language as the bullying, and what you term "social disapproval" as attempts at discussing the group "norms" and providing coaching as to those expectations? Is it possible that children who do not "get" this may have social difficulty and that parents who do not "get" this may have difficulty acknowledging their children's difficulty and helping their children learn social norms?
It may be risky to reach out to people who do not "get" this and try to raise awareness, as people unaware of social norms may tend to engage in ad hominem attacks rather than remain focused on discussing the concepts and ideas. Every group has social norms, even the forums have
guidelines for interaction.
This is different than the article which discussed recent changes in post-secondary social norms, and debated whether these specific changes may be encouraging being thin-skinned and raising "taking offense" to an art form.
Trigger-warnings and
micro-aggressions were mentioned.
I do agree the skills Indigo references are useful in life, generally, though. This is especially true in professional life and/or discussions with acquaintances.
Yes. When you mention the context of certain relationships (professional life, acquaintances) this hints at different boundaries with different groups of people. These skills may also be useful in the classroom, at camp and extracurricular activities, etc. Some people pick up on social clues by casual observation, some by direct teaching. There are books and websites geared to teaching the basics to children and also as professional development for adults.
I also agree that there is a cultural tint to this.
Which cultures do you see as using these skills, and which do you see as not?
I prefer my friends with a little edge to them, seems more honest. I wouldn't want to be in a club like that. "With friends like that, who needs enemies"
Some may say that an edge which challenges one's thinking with new ideas is different than making strong emotional negative/derogatory statements without articulating challenging new ideas.
and also "too much time on their hands" come to mind.
In what way(s) is having a social or cultural norm of politeness indicative of too much time on one's hands? By contrast, some may say that using precise language saves time as it is more likely to be understood, therefore less need for clarification to avoid misunderstanding.
