I am continually impressed with the generous people expressing themselves in the comments section of our media outreach channels. Most are supportive or have questions; some are put off; others are delighted; a few are horrified. It's the horrified that gets me scratching my head.
Each of us crafts a personal worldview: A story that explains just about everything in our lives. Those narratives are unique yet similar enough that we align ourselves with like-minded people. We're all audiophiles and while we argue about all sorts of things, at the end of the day, we share a worldview when it comes to music and its reproduction. For example, who among us would argue that electronics and speakers sound different?
Yet, that statement offered up in some crowds can elicit all sorts of emotions including anger, which is odd to me because it seems like a pretty harmless viewpoint.
When a worldview is in direct conflict with someone else's story we can react in a few different ways: learn, ignore, respond, try to change, feel threatened. I think when people are aghast or horrified by an opinion it's because they feel threatened. And no one wants to be threatened.
So my question is this. How can we present ideas to the outside world that don't threaten people? Is there some way of expressing audiophile opinions that can be taken easily enough to spark debate and healthy discourse on the one hand, while not angering and spewing bile on the other?
I'd love to know.
