Thread by @ErrataRob

Questions and discussion are how we learn. It doesn't mean we are rejecting a thing, or that we aren't listening. It means we are trying to wrap our minds around a thing.

It's an important feature of our education system, something teachers encourage. In contrast, other cultures discourage students from asking questions, as disrespectful to the teacher. Students are expected to learn by rote and parrot things back, but not understand them.

We are seeing this same problem in today's politically charged climate. You aren't supposed to understand a thing, to ask questions, to discuss it. Any attempt at discussion gets you shut down with toxic rhetoric.

It's not a matter of "believing", it's a matter of not quite understanding what it is you are supposed to believe. Discussion isn't disloyalty or rejection. It's asking questions to figure out what's going on.

I mention this because a woman tweeted that her reports earned more than she. It's not that I don't believe there's a problem, but that I don't understand it. It's common in high tech for managers to earn less than reports.

She responded that she's the team lead, not simply the manager. Well, with this additional information, now I understand. And of course, I'm a bit outraged. I've never heard of a team lead not being the best paid engineer on the team.

Anyway, the conversation itself wasn't bad so much as everyone piling in claiming that you can't discuss it, you can't ask questions, but must "believe" it, even if you don't understand it. I find this attitude unhelpful. Questioning is inherently good, not disloyal.