"So when someone keeps “just asking questions” about whether vaccines are safe, or if climate change is real, or if a particular ethnic group should be put in a fucking camp, they’re not engaged in a genuine search for truth. They’re exploiting our cognitive biases to make their ideas seem more plausible through sheer repetition."

"Continuing to entertain long-debunked ideas in the name of “just asking questions” isn’t open-mindedness — it’s a waste of time and mental energy."

Joan Westenberg

2024-08-05 11:06:57

In the past, “just asking questions” was limited by the reach of one’s voice. Now, anyone with a Twitter account can broadcast their “inquiries” to millions. This has given rise to a new breed of pseudo-intellectual, the “Just Asking Questions” influencer.

https://medium.com/westenberg/nobody-who-says-theyre-just-asking-questions-actually-wants-an-answer-5f4cee4d74d4

Nobody Who Says They’re “Just Asking Questions” Actually Wants an Answer

Social media has given rise to armies of self-proclaimed skeptics and truth-seekers who wouldn’t know the truth if it slapped them in the fucking face. We’ve all encountered these assholes. They…

^{Joan Westenberg (@westenberg)}