username2 comments on Voiceofra is banned - Less Wrong

21 Post author: NancyLebovitz 23 December 2015 06:29PM

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Comment author: polymathwannabe 24 December 2015 04:32:53PM 2 points [-]

In the comment that got him banned, Advancedatheist said:

we need to restore a healthy patriarchy where women can't get sexual experience until marriage

just after he implied that lack of sexually available women was a viable explanation for two cases of mass murder.

I don't think it's "abuse of power" to obstruct the dissemination of such abhorrent views, especially at a website that has world-improvement as one of its central goals.

Comment author: Vaniver 24 December 2015 05:00:37PM 16 points [-]

I don't think it's "abuse of power" to obstruct the dissemination of such abhorrent views, especially at a website that has world-improvement as one of its central goals.

The truth of a view is more important than whether or not it's abhorrent. I agree with entirelyuseless in that I endorse banning advancedatheist because he had a long string of low-quality posting but do not endorse banning him because of the content of that comment by itself.

Comment author: username2 24 December 2015 10:24:55PM 4 points [-]

I agree with entirelyuseless in that I endorse banning advancedatheist because he had a long string of low-quality posting

Do you have any idea how many LW users that would apply to? Come to think of it, looking through polymathwannabe's recent history the highest quality content appears to be the open threads he initiates.

Comment author: Vladimir_Nesov 24 December 2015 11:18:37PM *  6 points [-]

Do you have any idea how many LW users that would apply to?

This illustrates the effect size of the action. It's one of a few things that seem to me to have the potential of changing the current situation, although it's likely useless on its own, and it's not obvious whether the change would be for the better. A few years ago I maintained a list of users whose comments I was subscribed to (via rss), and two other lists, marked "toxic" and "clueless". Getting rid of those users might make lesswrong a better place, if it won't scare away the rest.

Comment author: username2 24 December 2015 11:24:45PM 4 points [-]

(it's not obvious whether the change would be for the better)

It would certainly be for the worse if the banning was selectively enforced based on whether the mod in question liked the opinion being expressed.

Comment author: Vladimir_Nesov 24 December 2015 11:29:54PM *  2 points [-]

I don't see a certainty in this. Policies have downsides. It's not clear how significant a bit of systematic injustice and bias would be compared to the other effects.

Comment author: Vaniver 25 December 2015 01:03:50AM 2 points [-]

A few years ago I maintained a list of users whose comments I was subscribed to (via rss), and two other lists, marked "toxic" and "clueless".

I'm much more tolerant of clueless than toxic, but even then there is a limit.