What is a Community Really?
Well you see, it’s this amazing show that had Donald Glover in it. Abed is the best character though.
Oh… That’s not what we are here for. Fine…
Is the skeptic community a community? What is a community? Do you even know or care to know what the skeptic community is? If not, that’s fine, I’ll tell you anyway because it will be the example I use today.
First off, what is this thing people have called the “skeptic community”? Well it is a group of people on the internet that were calling themselves skeptics. One even has it in the name they use on the internet. Armored Skeptic. Some people however did not like being called skeptics or a part of the so called skeptic community that came to be known as a group of people that spoke against feminism and what came to be known as social justice warriors or SJWs for short.
So what are we talking about again? Oh, right, we are talking about what a community is and I got you caught up on what the example is today. The Skeptic Community™. Can’t forget the ™.
Well what is a community then? Before we get to that, there are two main types of communities. Informal and formal. Now what does informal and formal mean?
- Formal means, done in accordance with rules of convention or etiquette.
- Informal is having a relaxed, friendly, or unofficial style.
Ok, now for community. What is a community?
A community is a group of people living in the same place or having a specific trait in common. It is a group of living things such as a person or mouse. So you could have a community of mice if you really wanted to.
There are many types of communities that people talk about. For example, a retirement community, the scientific community, the medical community, the academic community, and saved the best for last, the gaming community. The video gaming community to be more specific.
The scientific, medical, and the academic communities would be few of the examples of informal communities as there is not any specific formalization such as having a specific location or membership. They are related by such things as their specific types of work, research, and information they know, and will interact with as they go to conferences and change jobs.
They may be a part of some formalized community that they are a member of and maybe pay membership payments to. They would be following a structure, rules, etc.
The retirement community would be a formal community as well because it is a fixed location and people pay to stay there. They also would have rules and various things available as products or services for the people that live there.
So let’s answer that question of if the Skeptic Community is a community. This TradeMark symbol is getting annoying. Go… on… there… and stay put! Ok… so about that Skeptic Community™ question…
Well they aren’t members of a group that is paid or unpaid. So it isn’t a formalized collection of individuals related by a trait or set of traits.
Skeptic Community™ however is an informal collection of individuals related by a trait or set of traits.
With that said, it makes sense to also frame the liberals and conservatives into an informal community. The SJWs are also a community. The Social Justice Warrior Community. The people in the Skeptic Community are fairly familiar with some of the bigger players in it. Bedroom feminists, died in blood red wool Marxists, and various other regressive left flavors.
Enjoy the reckoning!!! **spins around in chair, changing hats, one with each spin, to end with devilish laughter from a latex Pepe the Frog mask**