You Just Don't Know
Claire Berlinski, Ed. ·
Aug 27, 2011 at 10:07am
I went for a long walk along the Bosphorus today with a Turkish friend I hadn't seen for a while. (Four years, to be precise.) I'll try to write about some of it when I organize my own thoughts, but this comment touched me: He was, he said, impressed by the quality of debate on Ricochet.
I had no idea he was reading Ricochet.
Some days I think the lamps are going out. Some days I think they're just flickering on.
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Comments :
Dec '10
Re: You Just Don't Know
Claire, this is the one place in the conservative blogosphere (or anywhere, really) where us plebes get to be part of the conversation instead of simply being talked to by our betters. We cherish this gift and behave accordingly.
Edited on Aug 27, 2011 at 10:18amJun '10
Re: You Just Don't Know
If I were pondering the big issues (e.g., are the lamps going out all over the world?), I think I'd like to do it while walking along the Bosphorus.
Your friend is quite right about Ricochet, in no small measure because you are part of it.
Re: You Just Don't Know
The King Prawn: Claire, this is the one place in the conservative blogosphere (or anywhere, really) where us plebes get to be part of the conversation instead of simply being talked to by our betters. We cherish this gift and behave accordingly. · Aug 27 at 10:12am
Edited on Aug 27 at 10:18 am
Well, you just undermined the case I tried to make that Ricochet characterizes America, where everyone debates rationally and courteously, values debate as a way to separate good ideas from bad, and judges ideas based on how well they stand up to a counter-argument, rather than the authority from which they issue.
It represents the best part of America, anyway. The part I'm quite proud to defend and believe I can defend with evidence and arguments.
Jun '11
Re: You Just Don't Know
Claire Berlinski, Ed.
The King Prawn: Claire, this is the one place in the conservative blogosphere (or anywhere, really) where us plebes get to be part of the conversation instead of simply being talked to by our betters. We cherish this gift and behave accordingly. · Aug 27 at 10:12am
Edited on Aug 27 at 10:18 am
Well, you just undermined the case I tried to make that Ricochet characterizes America, where everyone debates rationally and courteously, values debate as a way to separate good ideas from bad, and judges ideas based on how well they stand up to a counter-argument, rather than the authority from which they issue.
It represents the best part of America, anyway. The part I'm quite proud to defend and believe I can defend with evidence and arguments. · Aug 27 at 10:38am
Pessimists discount the power and the force of the dialogue in this country.
It's astounding, actually, the noise of the crowd.
And yes, they are flickering on. There is a beginning ahead of us.
Dec '10
Re: You Just Don't Know
Actually, it confirms your view. The problem is not a lack of such urges within the American people; rather, it is a structural problem in that we have no suitable outlet for our longings. No one gathers in pubs to discuss the events of the day anymore. We receive and evaluate our information in isolation before our televisions or computer monitors. It's a unidirectional flow of data. Those presenting ideas are elevated above the receivers (Peter is probably blushing to think he's elevated above us.) Here, on the other hand, we have a vibrant exchange of ideas among equals, and, unlike the pubs of yore, no one gets drunk and punches someone else for their views. Ricochet does not entirely characterize America as it is. It characterized America as it was at its founding and as it is becoming again.
Dec '10
Re: You Just Don't Know
Peter and Rob are geniuses for many reasons, but chief among them is the understanding that it was conversation and community that were lacking in American political discourse. The uniqueness of Ricochet is not in the posts (we can get well written utterances about politics almost anywhere) but in the conversations that follow. Troy's Aloha post really nailed the essence of how inimitable Ricochet is. Your friend picked up on the primary effect, the quality of debate here. It is the form of Ricochet which is the cause. It's why I walked three feet off the ground after having brunch with some old friends I'd never met.
Sep '10
Re: You Just Don't Know
He was, he said, impressed by the quality of debate on Ricochet
Its hard not to get a lump in my throat when I read that. And for once its not a chicken bone.
May '11
Re: You Just Don't Know
"Some days I think the lamps are going out. Some days I think they're just flickering on."
Well said. Both optimists and pessimists savor the flickering of the light. We also rage at the dimming of the light.
Edited on Aug 27, 2011 at 1:34pmJul '10
Re: You Just Don't Know
For me, the odd moment was when Mrs. Sisyphus announced that our eldest was reading my posts. At this point, he is in the next room reading the Ricochet conversations of the day to the rest of the family.
The odd moment before that was, before I adopted my current pseudonym, the call from a long time associate warning me that I had best adopt a pseudonym.
It is a community and, like any community, we do not all agree on everything, though we do occasionally come off as a bit of an echo chamber, but I think we do a pretty good job overall of resisting the affects of the Left Turn. Even Rob.
Edited on Aug 27, 2011 at 11:00pmMay '10
Re: You Just Don't Know
Claire, tell your friend we at Ricochet are impressed by the discernment of our Turkish readers.
Feb '10
Re: You Just Don't Know
The idea to charge for membership-- which primarily means charging for the ability to comment-- is a breakthrough, in my opinion. No, I didn't come up with it, it was the vision of the founders.
It's completely counter to the prevailing Internet culture of free and completely anonymous accounts. But the problem with those is they encourage "drive-by commenting" or basically ranting and leaving. On many sites, people don't even bother to read an article, much less the 683 comments following it, before spewing their rant and leaving, never to come back.
The thoughtful people see this and of course realize that any thoughtful discussion is going to be lost in the noise, so they completely refrain from commenting at all. It's a self-reinforcing cycle.
Here at Ricochet, we made conversation one of the top priorities, if not the top priority. We instituted a code of conduct to keep things civil, and by asking people to sacrifice a bit, we gave participation more value in their eyes. Naturally, then, members put more effort into the discussion, and it shows.
We just came up with a model, though. In my opinion, the conversations on Ricochet really are more representative of America, or the part of America that makes America work, than the noise you see on other sites. We just provide the venue that lets these people and the conversations they probably would be having in real life, shine through.
Edited on Aug 27, 2011 at 7:28pmJan '11
Re: You Just Don't Know
The world is warming and will burn to a crisp, the price of gold will go up forever, and youth will continue to degenerate. Well, no!
There will always be cycles; the pendulum always swings.
I think we are near the "restoring force" societally. Every the pessimist, even *I* see hope.
Mar '11
Re: You Just Don't Know
I needed this. I've had a lamps going out kind of 24 hours; they are easier to see than little flickers. I must remember to keep a lookout for the little flickers.
May '10
Re: You Just Don't Know
Hi, AH London, Just started following you this evening and noticed you responded to a looong Jan. comment of mine in March. Sorry! Those late responses often get lost, unfortunately. Some day hopefully we'll have personal messaging or some other way to continue conversations at a later date. Welcome back to the states!