RichardKennaway comments on In Defense of Tone Arguments - Less Wrong

24 Post author: OrphanWilde 19 July 2012 07:48PM

You are viewing a comment permalink. View the original post to see all comments and the full post content.

Comments (172)

You are viewing a single comment's thread. Show more comments above.

Comment author: RichardKennaway 20 March 2013 01:30:45PM -2 points [-]

Yelling at people is high-status.

A homeless tramp yelling at every passerby is not high status. Fact is, yelling can mean anything (an instance of the general rule that anything can mean anything). It can imply that you are in a position of weakness, having to yell to get anyone to pay attention. In can imply that you are in a position of strength, being able to get away with yelling at people. It can imply you're just an asshole.

Talking with people politely signals respecting them as equals.

Talking with people politely signals respecting them, period.

If (I believe) I am wise and good, and the other people are ignorant and evil, it feels completely natural to act high-status towards them.

What feels natural to you is a fact about you.

Treating them as equals could even lower my status in the eyes of my friends.

You need a better class of friend.

Comment author: wedrifid 20 March 2013 01:51:36PM *  0 points [-]

A homeless tramp yelling at every passerby is not high status.

Being a homeless tramp is low status. Said tramp using a social move that constitutes a status grab does not thereby change the principles of social dynamics.

Fact is, yelling can mean anything (an instance of the general rule that anything can mean anything).

This theory is worse than useless.

Talking with people politely signals respecting them, period.

Period? What happened to your 'general rule that anything can mean anything'? Is that the kind of fully general counterargument that applies only to your rivals, and not yourself?

What feels natural to you is a fact about you.

Non-sequitur one-upmanship.

You need a better class of friend.

Disingenuous and rude. You are attempting to distort Viliam's counter-factual illustration into a confession of weak social alliances. That would be untenable as a sincere interpretation of the meaning.