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wedrifid comments on What topics would you like to see more of on LessWrong? - Less Wrong Discussion

25 Post author: Emile 13 December 2010 04:20PM

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Comment author: wedrifid 15 December 2010 02:25:02AM *  5 points [-]

I don't know if I am explaining this well (and may be someone can do better), but discussing politics tends to create "us" vs. "them" mentality really quickly.

You explained it well and it is a phenomenon we often reference. Perhaps the greatest source of bias humans have. Certainly the source of the most annoying biases we have. :)

We are all (well, except, Eliezer of course) flawed humans here and are prone to such reactions.

Don't even joke about that (please).

An infight would be very deadly to a small community like this.

From past experience the infighting isn't deadly but it is certainly distracting and probably does some damage. I note that as a community we don't seem especially prone to strongly identifying with world or national politics in the patriotic tribal sense. That kind of politics is far closer to mere abstract theory. The real political infighting lesswrong is vulnerable to tends to be moral and local. (And vulnerable it is.)

Comment author: ata 15 December 2010 02:31:10AM *  3 points [-]

Don't even joke about that (please).

It may or may not have been a sarcastic reference to this, rather than joke-cultishness.

Comment author: wedrifid 15 December 2010 02:58:30AM *  1 point [-]

It may or may not have been a sarcastic reference to this, rather than joke-cultishness.

I understand. I was making a (minimally emphasized) personal request to not be reminded of that, even in jest. It is a source of (mild) negative affect and causes a commensurately mild interference with my ability to maintain respect for Eliezer, with spill over to SIAI and LW. (But I didn't want to include the reasoning with the request because it didn't feel like the time to criticise.)

Comment author: Alexei 15 December 2010 03:45:39AM 0 points [-]

I'm sorry, I am still a bit new to this website, and I miss the finer points sometimes. I'll try not to make jokes like that in the future. I understand where you are coming from and how my sort of remarks, even in jest, could be damaging.

Comment author: JoshuaZ 15 December 2010 04:17:17AM 4 points [-]

For what it is worth, I think such jokes are a) amusing b) helpful.

Comment author: ata 15 December 2010 03:04:41AM 0 points [-]

Fair enough.

Comment author: Emile 15 December 2010 09:14:55AM 1 point [-]

I note that as a community we don't seem especially prone to strongly identifying with world or national politics in the patriotic tribal sense. That kind of politics is far closer to mere abstract theory. The real political infighting lesswrong is vulnerable to tends to be moral and local. (And vulnerable it is.)

I agree that there probably isn't that much tribal patriotism here, but there are probably a few posters whose minds are tainted by ideology (libertarianism, left-liberalism, environmentalism, maybe conservatism) (I don't consider my mind untainted by ideology), which can be equally polarizing.

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