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skeptical_lurker comments on Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality discussion thread, July 2014, chapter 102 - Less Wrong Discussion

7 Post author: David_Gerard 26 July 2014 11:26AM

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Comment author: buybuydandavis 28 July 2014 12:42:10AM *  3 points [-]

I'm amazed at how the UKIP's performance has made many people lose all sense of proportion, and become thoroughly mindkilled...

I bet the mindkilling predated UKIP's victory, and only afforded an impetus to action for those already mindkilled.

About half the discussion seems to be 'one UKIP supporter said something rasist/sexist/homophobic'.

Why do you find this surprising? That's the standard attack. It's simply background music.

Worse, a friend of mine who is a lecturer in sociology endorsed a plan to send bricks to the UKIP's freepost address, thus wasting their money.

In Western democracies, the Left fights for power and is serious about it. Any means available.

But if the UKIP supporters then send bricks to the left-wing parties, then all parties lose money and the postal system slows down.

When does the opposition to the Left ever respond with a little tit for tat? In the US, there are all sorts of people mouthing off big words about fighting government tyranny, while meekly standing by while their children are sexually assaulted by the TSA purportedly looking for nuclear weapons in their underwear.

I would have thought a lecturer in sociology would understand about not defecting and keeping the moral high ground, but apparently I was wrong.

What he understands that you don't is that his enemies won't fight back. If your enemies are fundamentally pacifists toward your aggression, why ever stop?

Comment author: skeptical_lurker 28 July 2014 01:48:11AM *  3 points [-]

I bet the mindkilling predated UKIP's victory, and only afforded an impetus to action for those already mindkilled.

I'd agree, it has at most increased the mindkill.

Why do you find this surprising? That's the standard attack. It's simply background music.

"Amazed" was the wrong word, used in a sloppy rhetorical sense. 'Disappointed' might be better.

When does the opposition to the Left ever respond with a little tit for tat?

Well, of course UKIP didn't respond in kind, including when the prank escalated to sending blood and shit. And of course, it's UKIP who are the fascists, so let's hit them with sticks!

What he understands that you don't is that his enemies won't fight back. If your enemies are fundamentally pacifists toward your aggression, why ever stop?

Thing is, I do understand this, but maybe I've haven't fully internalised the fact an intelligent person can think that they are 'fighting the power' (he argues that UKIP are extremely similar to Nazis) while crushing anyone who dares to utter a contradictory opinion. I would say I can't understand this behaviour, but that would be purely rhetorical, because I do know what compartmentalisation is.

And when you have an iron grip on the moral high ground because anyone who disagrees with you is racist, then I suppose you can afford to defect constantly.

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