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I'm committing a major faux-pas by posting a second consecutive top-level comment, but it's been 12 hours and people need to post more. (Seriously, post a top level comment. Do it now.)
What's something that you were wrong about?
I'll start. I was wrong about marijuana legalization. It was a bad idea and we never should have done it. Marijuana is, contra urban legend, actually pretty addictive. And it makes productive people into unproductive people. The benefits, such as they are, are best enjoyed in moderation. But legalization has resulted in a whole new class of junkies that wouldn't have existed otherwise. Also, weed culture is gross.
Scott, as always, says it best:
In any case, what were you wrong about?
This thread invites people to discuss things they were wrong about, but most people are using it to grind their usual axes.
"I was naive when I was younger. I thought that the outgroup might be reasonable on a certain position, but I underestimated how evil and far-reaching the policy is in practice. I know better now (and presumably am a bit closer to hating the outgroup with every fiber of my being)."
There are a few that dodge that description but the vast majority fall into it.
I think you're not completely wrong, but you're being a little uncharitable. Not sure if you would put my post in that category, but certainly mine is like the majority of posts here consisting of people who used to hold much more progressive beliefs and now believe they were wrong.
But that's the point of the thread (and to some extent, the Motte), isn't it? We test our shady thinking, our untested beliefs, and hopefully are willing to change our thinking based on new evidence. If no one is ever willing to change their mind, what's the point of discussion beyond points-scoring and dunks and getting affirmation from fellow travelers? (Something that many people seem to be here to do and get very angry when told that's not what this place is for.)
I can see how it would be discouraging for a leftist to see a bunch of former leftists saying "Boy, was I stupid," and no former right-wingers are coming forward to say "I changed my mind about women/blacks/gays/Jews," etc. This place attracts a lot more disaffected leftists than it attracts disaffected rightists.
Most of the posts here don't really seem like they're "testing shady thinking". For that, it would be something like Scott's mistakes page. Most of the posts here instead seem like justifications of taking a few swirls down the toxoplasmic spiral. It seems a lot more "boo outgroup" with just a thin veneer of "here's how I was foolish enough to fall for their lies".
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