tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5961006065192244756.post3796627704557900852..comments2023-10-05T07:11:05.917-04:00Comments on Art at the Auction: To Be Fair...petplutohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01053307189721906583noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5961006065192244756.post-49520007571159687332010-03-26T07:19:29.948-04:002010-03-26T07:19:29.948-04:00The purpose of "to be fair" is to acknow...<i>The purpose of "to be fair" is to acknowledge the moral complexities of the situation</i><br /><br />Also, and I can't stress this enough, I find that oftentimes "to be fair" is thrown out there, and then the implications are not discussed. I'm not saying that John does that or that you do that. I am saying that, partially due to the structure in which "to be fair" rears its head (panels, tv debates between pundits), the "acknowledging moral complexities" part turns into "white-washing everyone's sins". Which, I'm not cool with, on either side.petplutohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01053307189721906583noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5961006065192244756.post-54707901133918014112010-03-26T06:54:20.560-04:002010-03-26T06:54:20.560-04:00I get what you're saying, but that's not t...<i>I get what you're saying, but that's not the only use of "to be fair."</i><br /><br />Unfortunately, I think the second half - that of the impartial arbiter of what is fair and what is not - is always connected to the "to be fair" remark. It may not be what you're trying to get across, but it does connote a "more impartial and objective than thou" perspective.<br /><br /><i>The purpose of "to be fair" is to acknowledge the moral complexities of the situation instead of simply jumping on the blame or anger bandwagon . . . which, while it may be cathartic, doesn't usually seem to get us anywhere.</i><br /><br />I'm not saying everyone should jump on the anger bandwagon. What I am saying is that "to be fair", while seemingly innocuous, carries with it the implicit authority of <b>objectivity</b> by the user. I'm saying that (a) bothers me, and (b) becomes a problem. <br /><br />Also, it immediately says to the other person, "I don't think you are fair". Whether or not that may be true, it definitely doesn't help the "let's all calm down and think about this" case.<br /><br />There are other, better, ways of acknowledging the moral complexities, I feel, than one which relegates one person as the moral arbiter of a debate or discussion.petplutohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01053307189721906583noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5961006065192244756.post-12074482411220361962010-03-25T22:32:04.071-04:002010-03-25T22:32:04.071-04:00I think John is exactly right.
The purpose of &q...I think John is exactly right. <br /><br />The purpose of "to be fair" is to acknowledge the moral complexities of the situation instead of simply jumping on the blame or anger bandwagon . . . which, while it may be cathartic, doesn't usually seem to get us anywhere.mikhailbakuninhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13158822054353654203noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5961006065192244756.post-39961515323757205512010-03-25T22:29:45.653-04:002010-03-25T22:29:45.653-04:00This comment has been removed by the author.mikhailbakuninhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13158822054353654203noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5961006065192244756.post-23942231237282112082010-03-25T22:09:05.644-04:002010-03-25T22:09:05.644-04:00I get what you're saying, but that's not t...I get what you're saying, but that's not the only use of "to be fair." I tend to use it when I'm trying to get someone to recognize that there's more than one side to any situation involving multiple people. This often gets me in trouble in my relationship, because instead of blindly agreeing and joining in the rage-fest with my girlfriend, I try to get her to calm down and remember that things might not be as black-and-white as they seem. It may put me in the doghouse, but I feel like being "fair" in this sense is key to preventing needless violence.Johnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14569180426066178711noreply@blogger.com