I think a problem with this strategy is that the Chicken Littles don’t particularly like you or care about your opinion, and so the fact that you disapprove of their behavior has little to no deterrent effect.
It also risks a backfire effect. If one is in essence a troll happy to sneer at what rationalists do regardless of merit (e.g. “LOL, look at those losers trying to LARP enders game!”), seeing things like Duncan’s snarky parenthetical remarks would just spur me on, as it implies I’m successfully ‘getting a rise’ out of the target of my abuse.
It seems responses to criticism that is unpleasant or uncharitable are best addressed specifically to the offending remarks (if they’re on LW2, this seems like pointing out the fallacies/downvoting as appropriate), or just ignored. More broadcasted admonishment (“I know this doesn’t apply to everyone, but there’s this minority who said stupid things about this”) seems unlikely to marshall a corps of people who will act together to defend conversational norms, but bickering and uncertainty about whether or not one is included in this ‘bad fraction’.
(For similar reasons, I think amplifying rebuttals along the lines of, “You’re misinterpreting me, and that people who don’t interpret others correctly is one of the key problems with the LW community” seems apt to go poorly—few want to be painted as barbarians at the gates, and prompts those otherwise inclined to admit their mistake to instead double down or argue the case further.)
The “common knowledge” aspect implies e.g. other people not engaging with them, though. (And other people not looking down on Duncan for not engaging with them, although this is hard to measure, but still makes sense as a goal.)
I mean, I suspect I *am* one of the Chicken Littles, and here you are, engaging with me. :)
I would make a bet at fairly generous odds that no rattumb person who offered a negative opinion of Dragon Army will face social consequences they consider significant from having a negative opinion of Dragon Army.
I would make a bet at fairly generous odds that no rattumb person who offered a negative opinion of Dragon Army will face social consequences they consider significant from having a negative opinion of Dragon Army.
My model of social consequences is that most of them are silent; someone who could have helped you doesn’t, someone asked for a recommendation about you gives a negative one, you aren’t informed of events because you don’t get invited to them. This makes it difficult to adjudicate such bets; as you’d have to have people coming forward with silent disapprovals, which would have to be revealed to the person in question to determine their significance.
I think a problem with this strategy is that the Chicken Littles don’t particularly like you or care about your opinion, and so the fact that you disapprove of their behavior has little to no deterrent effect.
+1
It also risks a backfire effect. If one is in essence a troll happy to sneer at what rationalists do regardless of merit (e.g. “LOL, look at those losers trying to LARP enders game!”), seeing things like Duncan’s snarky parenthetical remarks would just spur me on, as it implies I’m successfully ‘getting a rise’ out of the target of my abuse.
It seems responses to criticism that is unpleasant or uncharitable are best addressed specifically to the offending remarks (if they’re on LW2, this seems like pointing out the fallacies/downvoting as appropriate), or just ignored. More broadcasted admonishment (“I know this doesn’t apply to everyone, but there’s this minority who said stupid things about this”) seems unlikely to marshall a corps of people who will act together to defend conversational norms, but bickering and uncertainty about whether or not one is included in this ‘bad fraction’.
(For similar reasons, I think amplifying rebuttals along the lines of, “You’re misinterpreting me, and that people who don’t interpret others correctly is one of the key problems with the LW community” seems apt to go poorly—few want to be painted as barbarians at the gates, and prompts those otherwise inclined to admit their mistake to instead double down or argue the case further.)
The “common knowledge” aspect implies e.g. other people not engaging with them, though. (And other people not looking down on Duncan for not engaging with them, although this is hard to measure, but still makes sense as a goal.)
I mean, I suspect I *am* one of the Chicken Littles, and here you are, engaging with me. :)
I would make a bet at fairly generous odds that no rattumb person who offered a negative opinion of Dragon Army will face social consequences they consider significant from having a negative opinion of Dragon Army.
My model of social consequences is that most of them are silent; someone who could have helped you doesn’t, someone asked for a recommendation about you gives a negative one, you aren’t informed of events because you don’t get invited to them. This makes it difficult to adjudicate such bets; as you’d have to have people coming forward with silent disapprovals, which would have to be revealed to the person in question to determine their significance.