So, I push you.
Then, you push me.
Then, I push you.
Then, you push me.
Then, I push you.
Then, you push me.
And I go "Hey, no pushing! Unfair!!!!"
Or perhaps it goes like this, a little more complicated:
Rebecca says something
Stef says something
PZ says something
A buncha people say something
Richard says something
A buncha people say something
And at any point in there, depending on which thing was said by which person, you yell "Hey, stop all the argument, we're done now!!! This has gone on too long!"
It's like a New York subway. You get on the subway near the beginning, and that train stops at dozens of locations, each one different from the others. If you like boats, bagels, theater, a walk in the park, high-end shopping, the automat, whatever... its all there somewhere and all you have to do is to get off at the right stop.
And that is one of the features of the argument that has been going on here and elsewhere.
Its called STFU Station. Everyone's got their own; Everyone has their own point at which they would like the argument to stop, not continue, be declared over, be determined to have gone on too long, and ideally that is at the point when the subway has just pulled into the station that has your particular gig.
Funny how that works.
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Actually, I generally consider this a perpetual ongoing discussion. It didn't start with Rebecca's video, and it's not going to end just because someone runs out of steam or gets bored or calls a temporary cease fire to get some work done.
I do get a bit tired of having to repeat myself several times in a single comment thread, however.
Yeah, I generally only get tired after the third or fourth go-around through already-covered territory. I have also noticed people wanting to get the last word and expecting the argument to disappear immediately thereafter, then seeming surprised when others continue rebutting. I like the station analogy for that phenomenon. I expect to link this post in a future argument.
I agree with Ms Stephanie up at #1, and I hope you won't mind if I hijack and alter your first analogy.
You push past me.
Then I push past you.
I think a great deal of the noise out there isn't actually conversation, nor intended to be. Some of it is just shouting "Yeah! Go misogyny!" A lot of it is talking *at* people rather than to them. Some of it is just frustrating repetitive conversation that doesn't go anywhere, and some of it actually does produce results. Not much.
To hijack your second analogy, it's like the subway in that most of us are along for the ride and ignoring everyone else even if some particular bit of noise grabs our attention for a moment.
If I sound pessimistic, it's because I came here almost directly from another sciblogger's post who just isn't on board with the maturity thing.
Eh. It'll get better. Maybe. Eventually.
Also, why do people keep arguing? Mr Munroe already covered that.
http://xkcd.com/386/