Interesting question to start the day
@heliumflight. A few thoughts to begin:
I believe, In general people tend to become defensive, upset, disappointed or angry when criticised for anything.
If the criticism is expressed in a crude or insensitive way the reaction can be equally crude or even aggressive sometimes.
It’s good to remember and remind ourselves that having better audio gear or more expensive gear does not make anyone a better person than others. It’s also likely that someone with a basic audio set up can enjoy the music they are listening to, as much or even more than a person with more expensive and possibly a better sounding audio set up. Objective measurement of joy and pleasure is still in the future
Some related thoughts:
We are all constantly being bombarded with sales pitches, opinions from our peers, skilled marketing, exotic sounding jargon, and in quest of something better- no one is insulated from these or is immune to their effects. The hobbyist deliberately and intentionally seeks these out.
The amount of resources each of us can afford or choose to spend on this varies wildly. The amount of knowledge and insights into all matters audio also varies between a new hobbyist and one who has many years of experience and is skilled in discerning the finer nuances of sound quality and music.
Our susceptibility to strong beliefs in the superiority of the exotic, the rare, the exclusive, the more expensive is better, snake oil theories, unscientific “facts” also varies greatly.
This situation, I believe exists in all hobbies, everywhere, and indeed in all aspects of our lives.
We don’t have much control over how others will react to our opinions, unless our intention is to provoke aggressive responses- unfortunately we seem to have practiced this skill more and hence become more skilled at this. We do however have the choice of how we express our thoughts and opinions. Doing this respectfully, with tact and good humor is one way to get more out of any discussion we engage in. In most situations respect begets respect and the opposite is often the case.
Mindfulness is a skill everyone can learn, practice and become better at. If a majority practice this as a norm, we all- not only those on internet fora, but societies as a whole can become better spaces for everyone. It is possible to hold different opinions, disagree and discuss facts and opinions without destroying the situation/platform through rage and hate.
