A strategy of just doing what people say because they threaten to use costly force is a bad strategy in such circumstances.
What do you think of a strategy of just NOT doing what people say because they threaten to use costly force in such circumstances? By my reading you seem to favor it.
For me, making the implicit explicit should NEVER be punished, and should often be rewarded. Will's crime here from my point of view is "not playing nice."
wdrifid's reaction is that of a police state, it seems to me. Even the APPEARANCE of independence must be suppressed. No challenge to power is trivial enough to be ignored and allowed.
Thank you for your cooperation and understanding. Don't worry, there won't be future posts like this, so you don't have to delete my LessWrong account, and anyway I could make another, and another.
But since you've dared to read this far:
Credibility. Should you maximize it, or minimize it? Have I made an error?
Discuss.
Don't be shallow, don't just consider the obvious points. Consider that I've thought about this for many, many hours, and that you don't have any privileged information. Whence our disagreement, if one exists?