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Thank you for stating your preferences like that. I'd taken your original argument as an isolated demand for rigor via Ukraine's surrender; that's an argument I have seen elsewhere on this board. My apologies for misunderstanding.
I do wonder--how much of the pushback has been from people making my same mistake?
Regardless, I'll second @urquan. Making observations about the downvotes is a surefire way to attract more. I'd guess it's because people view it as an expression of entitlement. Speaking as someone who draws a lot of flak, I can only note that they don't actually mean anything. Your contributions are valued.
Probably a lot. Most people view "calls for peace" as "enemy fifth columns".
That's insightful. I think you're right about the entitlement. In my personal life I'm fairly high status. So how dare people not agree with me on the internet!! I've just gotten a taste of what the typical liberal poster has to deal with on this forum. (Or the typical conservative anywhere else).
I think in general this forum helps me clear up sloppy thinking, even if it's just intellectual masturbation. I feel like this episode was somewhat frustrating because people seemed to be responding with emotion and bile, or failing that, I didn't understand their arguments well enough to change my thinking. Normally when I get pushback, I have made some fundamental mistake. If I did this time, I don't see it.
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