this post was submitted on 27 Oct 2024
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Showerthoughts

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A "Showerthought" is a simple term used to describe the thoughts that pop into your head while you're doing everyday things like taking a shower, driving, or just daydreaming. A showerthought should offer a unique perspective on an ordinary part of life.

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[–] [email protected] 34 points 4 weeks ago (1 children)

Might as well accept it, as however you cut it you’ll eventually come to realise that there are 10 kinds of people in this world. Those who understand binary, and those who don’t.

[–] [email protected] 10 points 3 weeks ago

Classic. Same as their are 2 types of people. Those that can extrapolate from incomplete data.

[–] yesman 8 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

Systems are not the sum of the individual actors who participate in them. Systems can influence and even control individuals back. Therefore, individual flaws in character or intellect are necessary, but not adequate to explain why systems are flawed.

Consider the future imagined in the movie "Idiocracy 2005". Society is collapsing because people are dumb. This is the explanation for all problems in that society. Capitalism, Resource extraction, environmental degradation, political corruption, and a rather authoritarian government are all blameless. The implication is that capitalism an authoritarianism are good if we could just be smart about it.

This is a big difference between left and right thinking. Republicans argue problems can be solved by reforming individuals; the police are good, there are just a few bad apples. Or that the right individual, at the helm of a system, can clean up all the issues with strength and resolve. This is the central pitch for supporting Trump.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 3 weeks ago

Republicans argue problems can be solved by reforming individuals; the police are good, there are just a few bad apples.

An odd thing to say, as the saying is that "A few bad apples spoil the whole crop". I think they're trying to say that that "The police is an overall force for good because the isolated cases do not dictate the whole". The saying is the exact opposite.

[–] db2 6 points 3 weeks ago

Or not. 🧌

[–] [email protected] 6 points 3 weeks ago

No it can’t!

[–] ANIMATEK 4 points 4 weeks ago (1 children)

01111001 011001010 1110011

[–] [email protected] 2 points 3 weeks ago

this is not binary solo :P

[–] [email protected] 2 points 3 weeks ago

yes class is very binary, you are either in da club, or u aint

sucks to suck.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 3 weeks ago

It is more tribalism honestly

[–] Xeroxchasechase 1 points 4 weeks ago (2 children)

One of many fallacies. But the origin is mostly some asshole or asshole organization thinking they can abuse the democratic system to submission.

[–] XeroxCool 2 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

I read this as you saying OP's claim was a fallacy but a re-read (and small dive into what type of Xerox you are) makes me beleive you meant binary thinking itself is a logical fallacy

[–] Xeroxchasechase 5 points 3 weeks ago

Yes, a binary thinking is one form of the many fallacies that are being exploited by those who seek power

[–] PriorityMotif 2 points 3 weeks ago

Heard a child mispronounce it as "mockracy" and couldn't have coined a better term myself.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 3 weeks ago (2 children)

That’s an interesting thought. Thinking doesn’t have to be binary, but ultimately an action is: you either do it or you don’t. There could be 5 possible actions (including inaction) but whichever one you choose is a binary action (you either do it, or you don’t)

[–] XeroxCool 7 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

I think you're falsely categorizing action as binary thinking and supporting OP's thought. Say I want to help people with some extra money - I have $100 (in singles) to give and 5 people in need. I'm not locked into "giving or not giving" or stuck giving to 1 person and not giving to 4 people. I can give everyone $20 evenly. I can $10 to one and $90 to another. I can give $5, $15, $25, $25, and $30 to them based on apparent need. I can give $0. Dividing this up into 5 individual binary actions... Actually, 100 individual actions (each dollar), dishonestly represents the overall opportunity and outcome.

And that's just for one case where it's a zero-sum game with my limited pot of $100. That's a prime type of case where some majority groups would beleive anything not directly given to them is, effectively, taken from them - more binary thinking. That doesn't account for status change, further income, and understand that social welfare budgets are insanely smaller than the gratuitous budgets of other departments.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

You just proved what I was saying though. The thought doesn’t have to be binary. You have a multitude of choices. But the moment you make an action, that is binary. You either do that specific action or not.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 3 weeks ago

You sound like someone I know who insists that the probability of anything happening is always 50/50, because "either it happens or it doesn't".

[–] [email protected] 1 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

There's definitely a third option. Half-arsing something is always an option.

[–] [email protected] -1 points 3 weeks ago

Every day is a half-day if you just say fuck it and leave.