When I’ve had people shoulder surf while I was visiting the site, everyone asked, “LessWrong? What’s that supposed to mean?” (5+ people). When I explained that it was a rational community where people tried to improve their thinking, they immediately began status attacks against me. One used the phrase “uber-intellectual blog” in a derogatory context and another even asked, “Are you going to come into work with a machine gun?” They often laughed at the concept.
I consider them to be “normal people.” Anti-intellectualism is very popular, and I’m already known for being interested in unusual topics. Once I’ve trained them to respond appropriately, we tend to have good discussions.
An anecdote:
When I’ve had people shoulder surf while I was visiting the site, everyone asked, “LessWrong? What’s that supposed to mean?” (5+ people). When I explained that it was a rational community where people tried to improve their thinking, they immediately began status attacks against me. One used the phrase “uber-intellectual blog” in a derogatory context and another even asked, “Are you going to come into work with a machine gun?” They often laughed at the concept.
Nobody commented on the graphic.
You probably need a new set of friends/relatives/coworkers.
New set of relatives. I suppose that is one reason to parent children: “My last family members were a bunch of @#%s. I’m making some new ones!”
I consider them to be “normal people.” Anti-intellectualism is very popular, and I’m already known for being interested in unusual topics. Once I’ve trained them to respond appropriately, we tend to have good discussions.
You probably need a new set of friends/relatives/coworkers.