Cleaning symbiosis is a mutually beneficial
association between individuals of two species, where one (the cleaner)
removes and eats parasites and other materials from the surface of the
other (the client). (x)
I think more people need to learn the phrase “I don’t know enough about that to have a strong opinion” its literally a cheat code for awkward conversations
Thinking about how attitudes towards “personal opinion” get in the way of progress a lot lately. Feels like there’s some nameable phenomenon here but I can’t quite put my finger on it.
Like that post I just reblogged about not liking whole genres of music as an expression of internalized racism. So many people in the replies saying things like “it doesn’t make it objectively bad but I just don’t enjoy rap personally”, just missing the entire point.
Or the suddenly ubiquitous debate about whether it’s transphobic to not want to date trans people. As though “I was attracted to this person when I thought they were cis, and now that I know they’re trans I’m not anymore” isn’t just straightforward, textbook transphobia.
Both cases involve well-meaning, otherwise-left-leaning people just completely dismissing obvious prejudice because it’s “just an opinion”, as though opinions cannot be shaped by bias, as though personal preferences can’t reinforce power structures.
It feels potentially connected to the liberal ideal of “personal freedom” being the most important thing, but it comes from people who in other contexts will push back against that paradigm. It also reminds me of the second-wave feminist slogan “the personal is political” to some extent.
Does anyone know what to call this? Are there people writing about this? Is it newly common, or am I just noticing it a lot more recently? What’s up with reference for opinion overriding all other values for so many otherwise-progressive people?
“rap is the worst music genre” “no actually it’s soul” “no actually it’s jazz” “no actually it’s ska” “no actually it’s r&b” hey guys do you notice a common denominator in the genres you hate or is it just me
genres people have said are the worst in response to this (including the deleted comment section)
