Edited for clarity and in light of well received criticism. Also to be less purposefully confrontational.
The problem of dealing with subjectivists like Darko et al.
I am a prospective phd candidate, working on a proposal that will specialize in petite ideology and identity conflicts, so read into the following all the biases you wish for they are certainly there, if unbeknownst to me. However, I've been watching the audio enthusiast civil war with intrigue and some things strike me as worthy of comment.
It seems to be the case, that the subjectivists find themselves deep within an ideological/identity trap. The fallacious rhetoric they use, for example, imaginary 'conversations' with objectivists or self referential reasoning etc. is akin to that employed by opinion formers in civil wars. It is as if they see objectivity as an existential threat. Of course it isn't, but it is a serious threat to their livelihoods, built on selling pseudoscience as fact.
The reason, I might posit, that they are so vociferous in their hatred of objectivity is precisely because they have built their internal identities and their external ideological reference as standing against objectivity. They are self declared subjectivists and that is it. The problem, as far as anyone outside the extreme midsts of the group is concerned, is that strong, ideologically grounded identities exist, almost exclusively, as a negative. They can be defined most clearly by what they are not. And what they are not is objectively driven.
The consequences of this are such that they have created for themselves a fortress of rotten bullshit and any attempts to disinfect it can instantly be labelled as "objectivist nonsense" and be readily rejected. Their adherence to this identity is so strong that their (unconsciously directed) responses to objectivity may well feel to them as some kind of existential as well as financial threat.
In this world view, anyone on the outside is a potential threat. As is "DBX testing", cheap DACs etc. There is no limit to the mental gymnastics and no limit to the levels of cognitive dissonance that they will deploy against attempts to de-shitify the world of hi-fi.
The result of this, as I see it, is at least two fold. Firstly, we (that is those not beholden to this worldview) should not engage their wilfully ignorant, facile and minimum ramblings, proclamations, videos etc. Any engagement on will only serve to reinforce their beliefs. Always remember that they identify by being, very firmly, against objectivity. Instead, they should be able to come to the objective information and eventually figure it out for themselves (maybe) and indeed be encouraged to do so.
Secondly, we could tentatively acknowledge what we might call 'informed subjectivity' as a means of heading them off. What I mean by this is that one should feel free, for example; to spend more money than necessary on an aesthetically pleasing piece of equipment; listen to demonstrably inferior analogue mediums, (or any thing else slightly irrational) on the understanding that it is irrational and inferior, but that we don't care. We recognise that our subjective pleasure is just that, subjective, but nonetheless relevant and 'real' if but purely in terms of ones listening enjoyment. This may take the wind out of some of their sales (maybe). But it may also help to prevent objectivity becoming just another ideologically founded, group think, identity.
In conclusion then, pity the poor fools for they know not what they do. Their demonstrably flawed human brains (everybody's brains are flawed) are leading them on a right merry old dance. All the psychological imperatives we, as humans, have developed over the millennia, that impel us to be part of a group and jolly well not do, or question, anything that might imperil the coherence of the group that protects us so and gives us such purpose in life, are binding them deep within this ideological trap. We can only hope that one day they will see the truth and the walls of resistant bullshit will start to crumble. Just don't bet on it or try too forcefully to convert them!
Thanks for reading.
The problem of dealing with subjectivists like Darko et al.
I am a prospective phd candidate, working on a proposal that will specialize in petite ideology and identity conflicts, so read into the following all the biases you wish for they are certainly there, if unbeknownst to me. However, I've been watching the audio enthusiast civil war with intrigue and some things strike me as worthy of comment.
It seems to be the case, that the subjectivists find themselves deep within an ideological/identity trap. The fallacious rhetoric they use, for example, imaginary 'conversations' with objectivists or self referential reasoning etc. is akin to that employed by opinion formers in civil wars. It is as if they see objectivity as an existential threat. Of course it isn't, but it is a serious threat to their livelihoods, built on selling pseudoscience as fact.
The reason, I might posit, that they are so vociferous in their hatred of objectivity is precisely because they have built their internal identities and their external ideological reference as standing against objectivity. They are self declared subjectivists and that is it. The problem, as far as anyone outside the extreme midsts of the group is concerned, is that strong, ideologically grounded identities exist, almost exclusively, as a negative. They can be defined most clearly by what they are not. And what they are not is objectively driven.
The consequences of this are such that they have created for themselves a fortress of rotten bullshit and any attempts to disinfect it can instantly be labelled as "objectivist nonsense" and be readily rejected. Their adherence to this identity is so strong that their (unconsciously directed) responses to objectivity may well feel to them as some kind of existential as well as financial threat.
In this world view, anyone on the outside is a potential threat. As is "DBX testing", cheap DACs etc. There is no limit to the mental gymnastics and no limit to the levels of cognitive dissonance that they will deploy against attempts to de-shitify the world of hi-fi.
The result of this, as I see it, is at least two fold. Firstly, we (that is those not beholden to this worldview) should not engage their wilfully ignorant, facile and minimum ramblings, proclamations, videos etc. Any engagement on will only serve to reinforce their beliefs. Always remember that they identify by being, very firmly, against objectivity. Instead, they should be able to come to the objective information and eventually figure it out for themselves (maybe) and indeed be encouraged to do so.
Secondly, we could tentatively acknowledge what we might call 'informed subjectivity' as a means of heading them off. What I mean by this is that one should feel free, for example; to spend more money than necessary on an aesthetically pleasing piece of equipment; listen to demonstrably inferior analogue mediums, (or any thing else slightly irrational) on the understanding that it is irrational and inferior, but that we don't care. We recognise that our subjective pleasure is just that, subjective, but nonetheless relevant and 'real' if but purely in terms of ones listening enjoyment. This may take the wind out of some of their sales (maybe). But it may also help to prevent objectivity becoming just another ideologically founded, group think, identity.
In conclusion then, pity the poor fools for they know not what they do. Their demonstrably flawed human brains (everybody's brains are flawed) are leading them on a right merry old dance. All the psychological imperatives we, as humans, have developed over the millennia, that impel us to be part of a group and jolly well not do, or question, anything that might imperil the coherence of the group that protects us so and gives us such purpose in life, are binding them deep within this ideological trap. We can only hope that one day they will see the truth and the walls of resistant bullshit will start to crumble. Just don't bet on it or try too forcefully to convert them!
Thanks for reading.
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