Much like actual dark matter, “social dark matter” reveals the equation has somehow been fudged: “it must be there, because if it’s not, we’re wrong” is never a solid line of reasoning.
In this case I think the manner in which humans and human societies operate is being radically misrepresented. A top down power analysis can easily show us that, for example, more people self identify as gay and trans in the current year vs half a century ago, because there are more political and social incentives to do so now vs half a century ago.
Seeking these hidden pockets of social power that are known only to their esoteric adherents is not going to get you very far when our society is specifically operating in a manner that makes all social power explicit. Do you think, for example, the gays of 1950 were sitting on all this potential to enact social change, but they were merely biding their time? Of course not—gays found power to enact social change when they found utility as a patronage class—that is to say, precisely when the social change demanded by gays served the interests the ruling elite. It’s not dark matter, it’s just regular boring old political matter.
Much like actual dark matter, “social dark matter” reveals the equation has somehow been fudged: “it must be there, because if it’s not, we’re wrong” is never a solid line of reasoning.
In this case I think the manner in which humans and human societies operate is being radically misrepresented. A top down power analysis can easily show us that, for example, more people self identify as gay and trans in the current year vs half a century ago, because there are more political and social incentives to do so now vs half a century ago.
Seeking these hidden pockets of social power that are known only to their esoteric adherents is not going to get you very far when our society is specifically operating in a manner that makes all social power explicit. Do you think, for example, the gays of 1950 were sitting on all this potential to enact social change, but they were merely biding their time? Of course not—gays found power to enact social change when they found utility as a patronage class—that is to say, precisely when the social change demanded by gays served the interests the ruling elite. It’s not dark matter, it’s just regular boring old political matter.