Do Our Prejudices Show?

[RevSmoke]

Originally Posted by markem

Everyone has prejudices. We call most of them "life experiences". We all view everything through the filters that our brain has created to make sense of the world. Nothing wrong with that.

I don't think there is anything wrong with predjudices, at least not in this case. I probably could have used another word that wouldn't have had the negative conotations, but hey, I got you to read the thread. I have my own prejudices as well.

Boards like CA are very diverse and people are not afraid to express an opinion. I think, as has been mentioned, that people are more likely to attack a non-CA source than a CA one. That's human nature - strike at that which cannot defend itself or strike back. When a board gets big enough, the members themselves become more or less anonymous to most, which further enables the attack mentality - no one is likely to meet you in person and call you on what you said.

It is also a CA trait for a certain percentage to "pile on" in certain types of threads. Historically, at CA and CS, cigar aficionado rankings have been taken with a grain of salt. For some reason, this has emerged as an "attack them" mentality instead of a "who cares, let's talk about something else" mentality.

Just my observations colored by my prejudices.

I concur with your assessment. I just like to admit my pre-conceived opinions about something. I am personally not concerned so much about piling on Cigar Aficionado, I think it is a ridiculous magazine. Lets face it, who can afford have the stuff they talk about in there.

My point wasn't so much against the attack on Cigar Aficionado, it was more about what we all think are good/excellent/bad cigars. I'd like people to rethink what they are allowing to influence what they believe are good/excellent/bad cigars - whether it is their own tastes or the opinions of others.

Hey, when someone who's tastes I know are similar to mine says he/she likes a cigar, chances are I will like it. So, I am inclined to try it. By the same token, I have a couple friends whose tastes I know are almost polar opposite of mine - if they 'hate' a cigar, I will probably enjoy it. So, I am inclined to try it.

Hey, if we can rethink our prejudices and set them aside, just like in real life, maybe we can try some new things. Who know, we might find a new favorite.

Peace of the Lord be with you.