pgbh comments on [LINK] Why I'm not on the Rationalist Masterlist - Less Wrong

21 Post author: Apprentice 06 January 2014 12:16AM

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Comment author: pgbh 08 January 2014 05:10:46AM 2 points [-]

Consider these two theories:

Liberal politicians promote the well-being of minority groups because they want their votes. This constitutes a naked power grab.

Minority groups vote for liberal politicians because they expect them to promote their well-being. This constitutes democracy working as intended.

How would you tell which of these theories is true?

Comment author: JTHM 08 January 2014 07:37:30AM *  5 points [-]

I have said nothing of the left promoting the well-being of minorities, and I have said nothing of why minorities support the left. I have said that the left tries to place left-leaning demographics in positions of power and influence (which is not always the same thing as actually helping those demographics, although helping them may be a side effect), and that leftists try to populate their social circles with those same demographics. Obviously, the right tries to place right-leaning demographics in positions of power and influence as well. For that matter, anyone who identifies with faction X tries to place likely X-ists in positions of power and influence. However, an attempt to do such a thing rarely feels like a power grab from the inside, regardless of your political orientation. Inside the mind of a leftist, a power grab of this form feels like promoting the noble cause of diversity.

Comment author: drethelin 08 January 2014 05:55:26AM 3 points [-]

in what way are those theories exclusive of each other?

Comment author: pgbh 08 January 2014 02:29:18PM *  -1 points [-]

His claim, to my understanding, is that the first theory completely explains the interaction between minorities and liberal politicians.