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DataPacRat comments on LW Women: LW Online - Less Wrong Discussion

29 [deleted] 15 February 2013 01:43AM

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Comment author: DataPacRat 15 February 2013 03:34:23PM 4 points [-]

After reading this post, I wondered if there was anything I could do to improve the local marketplace-of-ideas, such as trying to encourage more members by being more respectful of comments. Then I recalled that one of my standard rules-of-thumb is 'stay classy', which covers trying to use an appropriate amount of respect; so I then wondered if adding even further politeness would actually reduce the signal-to-noise ratio.

At present, I'm wondering if it's at all possible to figure out, to even a single deciban of evidence, how I should update, based on what's been posted... and trying to look at myself on a meta level, all that seems to have resulted is a mild strengthening of my commitment to the 'stay classy' benchmark.

Anyone care to tell me if I'm doing this wrong, and if so, how?

Comment author: David_Gerard 19 February 2013 10:54:02PM 0 points [-]

It's probably the best possible start. "Am I being a dick?"

Comment author: Eugine_Nier 20 February 2013 06:01:53AM 3 points [-]

Taboo "being a dick".

Comment author: David_Gerard 20 February 2013 08:45:54AM -1 points [-]

In terms of how human minds have evolved to interact with other humans, I think it can usefully be treated as a primitive. Are you actually claiming not to understand what it means, or is this an exercise?

Comment author: Eugine_Nier 21 February 2013 06:04:41AM *  3 points [-]

Different people have different ideas about what constitutes "being a dick" and I was wondering what you mean by it.

Comment author: David_Gerard 21 February 2013 08:35:35AM *  -1 points [-]

I do in fact mean running it past your inbuilt "actually, am I being a dick?" evaluator, as a start. (I'm assuming most people have something that does that job.)

This in no way guarantees anyone else will agree you're not being a dick, as you note, but I find this method useful in practice for screening off my bursts of dickishness - when I remember to apply it - and so I offer it as a simple thing that may work. I find it also makes my responses calmer in a heated argument.

Comment author: Eugine_Nier 22 February 2013 02:21:47AM 2 points [-]

I do in fact mean running it past your inbuilt "actually, am I being a dick?" evaluator, as a start. (I'm assuming most people have something that does that job.)

I'm still not sure which inbuilt evaluator you're talking about.

Comment author: David_Gerard 22 February 2013 09:27:57AM *  -2 points [-]

If you are about to say or write a response to something, does "wait, am I actually being a dick here?" before you do so mean anything? Something like "I'm right of course, but can I be right without also coming across as a dick?"

Comment author: Eugine_Nier 23 February 2013 07:02:33AM 2 points [-]

Assume I'm not familiar with the meaning of the word. If I remember correctly where I was growing up 'dick' was little more than a generic insult, also I'm not a native English speaker.

Comment author: David_Gerard 23 February 2013 10:24:52AM 0 points [-]

Ah, OK. Does Don't be a dick get the idea across a bit?

Comment author: NancyLebovitz 20 February 2013 04:27:43PM 1 point [-]

DataPacRat is asking about going beyond not being a dick.

I haven't followed DPR's posts enough to have an opinion about whether it would be good for them to add more friendliness, but a community norm of saying more about what you like about what you've read is probably a good idea.