mstevens comments on Open Thread, June 16-30, 2012 - Less Wrong

6 Post author: OpenThreadGuy 15 June 2012 04:45AM

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Comment author: mstevens 16 June 2012 09:05:31PM 1 point [-]

Hmm this is a bit fuzzy, as I said - part of my problem is that I just have a vague feeling and am having difficulty making it less vague. But:

  • an uncomfortable air of superiority
  • a bit too much association with right wing politics.
  • Some of the PUA stuff is a bit weird (not discussed directly on the site so much but in related contexts)
Comment author: CommanderShepard 17 June 2012 05:30:13PM *  4 points [-]

It would very much help if you could name three examples of each of your complaints, this would help you see if this really is the source of your unease. It would also help others figure out if you are right.

an uncomfortable air of superiority

Overestimating our rationality and generally feeling clearer thinkers than anyone ever? Or perhaps unwilling to update on outside ideas like Konkvistador recently complained?

a bit too much association with right wing politics.

There is a lot of right wing politics on the IRC channel, but overall I don't think I've seen much on the main site. On net the sites demographics are if anything remarkably left-wing.

Some of the PUA stuff is a bit weird (not discussed directly on the site so much but in related contexts)

The PUA stuff may come off as weird due to inferential distances or people accumulating strange ideas because they can't sanity check them. Both are the result of the community norm that sort now seems to strongly avoid gender issues because we've proven time and again to be incapable of discussing them as we do most other things. This is a pattern that seems to go back to the old OB days.