AnnaSalamon comments on Goals for which Less Wrong does (and doesn't) help - Less Wrong

57 Post author: AnnaSalamon 18 November 2010 10:37PM

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Comment author: AnnaSalamon 19 November 2010 07:43:50PM 6 points [-]

I agree with you, actually. He does seem curious; I shouldn't have said otherwise. He just also seems drawn to the more primate-politics-prone topics within Less Wrong, and he seems further to often express himself in spaghetti-at-the-wall mixtures of true and untrue, and relevant and irrelevant statements that confuse the conversation.

Less Wrong is a community that many of us care about; and it is kind, when one is new to a community and is still learning to express oneself, to tread a little more softly than XiXiDu has been.

Comment author: multifoliaterose 20 November 2010 06:53:06AM 2 points [-]

He just also seems drawn to the more primate-politics-prone topics within Less Wrong

Arguably the primate-politics-prone topics are the most important ones; the tendency that you describe can be read as seriousness of purpose.

he seems further to often express himself in spaghetti-at-the-wall mixtures of true and untrue, and relevant and irrelevant statements that confuse the conversation.

Less Wrong is a community that many of us care about; and it is kind, when one is new to a community and is still learning to express oneself, to tread a little more softly than XiXiDu has been.

Agreed.

Comment author: wedrifid 19 November 2010 07:51:33PM *  2 points [-]

Less Wrong is a community that many of us care about; and it is kind, when one is new to a community and is still learning to express oneself, to tread a little more softly than XiXiDu has been.

Not to mention more pragmatic socially in the general case. Unless you believe you have the capacity to be particularly dominant in a context and wish to introduce yourself near the top of a hierarchy. Some people try that here from time to time, particularly those who think they are impressive elsewhere. It is a higher risk move and best used when you know you will be able to go and open a new set, I mean community, if your dominant entry fails.

Comment author: shokwave 20 November 2010 06:34:31AM *  2 points [-]

Some people try that here from time to time,

Confession: Having a few muddled ideas of signalling in mind when I joined LessWrong, I knew of this pattern (works really well at parties!) and decided that people here were too savvy, so I specifically focused on entering as low as possible in the hierarchy. I'm curious whether that was well-received because of various status reasons (made others feel higher-status) or because it was simply more polite and agreeable.