I like to read the various threads, but only ever contribute if I have something I feel would benefit others or prompt someone with an entrenched view to think a bit wider about what they have posted. However that latter is very rare, as I hold some views and values of my own, and participate in some activities which across daily life cause huge entrenched rifts between polarized factions. I know that the conclusions I have reached have been based on personal experience and my own psychological makeup, and so are a unique set of factors which lead me to behave and think as I do. That's not to say I'm entrenched myself, as I like to read widely and have learnt over the years to consider others' perspectives in order to try and understand how they have reached their own conclusions, and faced with enough evidence will occasionally modify my own beliefs. What I particularly dislike is being told I ought to agree with another's opinions especially if it is embodied in an ideology or theology. Life isn't that binary, and the Pavlovian reactions I often see showcased in the threads are often so embittered and reproachful that I make a conscious decision not to participate. I like to gather my own evidence, and form my own opinion. That's me, not what others think I should be.
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