Patrick Rhone shared James Shelley’s In Praise of Private Correspondence over at App.net and I wanted to make sure I share it here.
Go and read the entire thing. This quote stuck out to me on the first read:
In this age that champions transparency, this confession may at first be scandalous: if you ask me a question on a public forum and then again during a private coffee date, you may very well receive two different answers from me.
I can speak only for myself, but this is entirely true. I censor myself and my thoughts in large open forums and a lot of it has to do with the mob mentality which seems to persist. Say something which a group might not agree with and be prepared to be shouted down by a large chorus of same-thought people.
Private conversations allow for disagreements and controversies without it needing to devolve into primal screams and survival instincts.
Great read.