The Problem of Evil combined with the problem of Free Will

[Valyza1]

Well, I'm not sure that's an apt example, as I was never told fairies were real.  I was told, however, or at least hinted at, as a kid, that Superman's home planet Krypton was real, and that if I went there I could get super powers like him.  The idea was never ridiculed, though.  I just grew up and naturally learned more about the nature of space travel and the nature of fiction.   And that's pretty much the process for every idea that I outgrew.  There was never a point where I felt that being ridiculed helped me on my path to learning more about the world, other than learning that some people are dicks.  

Okay, sure, you were never shamed out of anything.........

Oh, dear Zeus in the Clouds, I've been shamed out of DOING plenty of things! Shaming is an extremely effective finite term preventative tool, don't get me wrong. Being shamed never changed or even effected what I believe.

What do you mean by "cannot see reason"?  Do you mean they only respond to emotional  stimulus? What is this "applicability of ridicule" you're speaking of?  Silencing people from saying irrational things?  Is a person who avoids passing a law they believe in just to avoid ridicule really the kind of person you want in congress?

Sure, particularly if the alternative is a person who -does- pass that law because he is -not- ashamed to do so.  

I actually think that public shaming works incredibly well on politicians.  None of them want to be the idiot that everyone's cracking jokes about.  Not good for their careers. Plenty of people, congressmen or otherwise, love to hate the gays. It's only the fact that society will no longer view their hatred as acceptable that keeps them from exposing themselves publicly. Think of the lengths a homophobe will go to in order to argue that they aren't a homophobe? That's shame, that's the applicability and effectiveness of ridicule. '

I see what you're saying. Congress is, after all, supposed to be a sound board for the People and reflect the interests of the populace. So if you can shame enough loud mouth theocrats to silence, you can help turn the tide against any theocracy in our government. I've only 2 things to note: 1)Fear of expression creates a duel consciousness, so the more true views are repressed in the seats of government, the more fuel is added to the fire of fringe groups representing those same views which, in turn, form revolutionary movements. The public face of a movement, politician, or population is only effective for so long before it shows it's true colors. 2)Any point underlying a ridicule can be made clearer and more effectively by being made plain and uninflected instead, reaching an agreement and/or consideration by a much larger group of onlookers.