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RichardKennaway comments on Politics Discussion Thread January 2013 - Less Wrong Discussion

6 Post author: OrphanWilde 02 January 2013 03:31AM

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Comment author: RichardKennaway 02 January 2013 09:03:26AM 0 points [-]

As a rule of thumb, I assume that anyone claiming to be only joking is lying. They are saying exactly what they think while pretending not to.

Comment author: TimS 02 January 2013 02:19:24PM 1 point [-]

So you endorse calling them on it, ceteris paribus?

Comment author: RichardKennaway 02 January 2013 03:38:54PM 0 points [-]

What you do about any particular instance will obviously depend on the situation. Some things are worth speaking up about. Some things are worth making non-verbal indications that their joke is bombing. Some just deserve to be ignored. You don't want to be this guy.

Comment author: TimS 02 January 2013 04:34:35PM *  0 points [-]

You don't want to be this guy.

I don't? If the expected social improvement exceeds my personal cost (taking into account my opportunity cost), why shouldn't I act? Taking that xkcd to mean what you assert suggests you think all social advocacy is wasted.

More generally, the blogger I linked is complaining that the joke didn't bomb and generally doesn't bomb.

Comment author: RichardKennaway 02 January 2013 05:10:09PM *  2 points [-]

If the expected social improvement exceeds my personal cost (taking into account my opportunity cost), why shouldn't I act?

You have just defined the set of cases in which you should. Deciding when you are looking at such a case and what to do about it is the non-trivial part.

Comment author: TimS 02 January 2013 05:15:10PM *  -1 points [-]

I've all but explicitly been asserting that this is a time to act.

You seem to agree there is a problem (Jokes are statements of true belief / in vino veritas), yet you seem to disagree that taking action is a good idea.

I obviously misunderstand your position in some way.

Comment author: RichardKennaway 02 January 2013 05:52:54PM *  1 point [-]

I was just saying that seeing something objectionable, and deciding whether and how to object to it, are two separate things. I do find "jokes" like the one in the original article objectionable, but if I was present at Rowdy telling this joke about the dog, I don't know how best to tackle it, even having the leisure of taking as long as I want to consider the hypothetical, let alone face-to-face with about one second in real time to get my brain in gear. But that's just me.

Or to put it another way, my short answer to your question:

So you endorse calling them on it, ceteris paribus?

is "yes".