I did list “actually just encourage people to use the ban tool more” is an option. [...] If you actually want to advocate for that over a Said-specific-rate-limit, I’m open to that (my model of you thinks that’s worse).
Well, I’m glad you’re telling actual-me this rather than using your model of me. I count the fact your model of me is so egregiously poor (despite our having a number of interactions over the years) as a case study in favor of Said’s interaction style (of just asking people things, instead of falsely imagining that you can model them).
Yes, I would, actually, want to advocate for informing users about a feature that already exists that anyone can use, rather than writing new code specifically for the purpose of persecuting a particular user that you don’t like.
Analogously, if the town council of the city I live in passes a new tax increase, I might grumble about it, but I don’t regard it as a direct personal threat. If the town council passes a tax increase that applies specifically to my friend Said Achmiz, and no one else, that’s a threat to me and mine. A government that does that is not legitimate.
It seems really wrong to me to think the only kind of conversation you need to make intellectual progress be “criticize without trying to figure out what the OP is about and what problems they’re trying to solve”.
So, usually when people make this kind of “hostile paraphrase” in an argument, I tend to take it in stride. I mostly regard it as “part of the game”: I think most readers can tell the difference between an attempted fair paraphrase (which an author is expected to agree with) and an intentional hostile paraphrase (which is optimized to highlight a particular criticism, without the expectation that the author will agree with the paraphrase). I don’t tell people to be more charitable to me; I don’t ask them to pass my ideological Turing test; I just say, “That’s not what I meant,” and explain the idea again; I’m happy to do the extra work.
In this particular situation, I’m inclined to try out a different commenting style that involves me doing less interpretive labor. I think you know very well that “criticize without trying to figure out what the OP is about” is not what Said and I think is at issue. Do you think you can rephrase that sentence in a way that would pass Said’s ideological Turing test?
I consider it a priority to resolve this in a way that won’t continue to eat up more of our time.
Right, so if someone complains about Said, point out that they’re free to strong-downvote him and that they’re free to ban him from their posts. That’s much less time-consuming than writing new code! (You’re welcome.)
If Said seemed corrigible about actually integrating the spirit-of-our-models into his commenting style
Sorry, I thought your job was to run a website, not dictate to people how they should think and write? (Where part of running a website includes removing content that you don’t want on the website, but that’s not the same thing as decreeing that individuals must “integrat[e] the spirit-of-[your]-models into [their] commenting style”.) Was I mistaken about what your job is?
building out two high level normsets of “open/curious/cooperative” and “debate/adversarial collaboration/thicker-skin-required”
I am strongly opposed to this because I don’t think the proposed distinction cuts reality at the joints. (I’d be happy to elaborate on request, but will omit the detailed explanation now in order to keep this comment focused.)
We already let authors write their own moderation guidelines! It’s a blank text box! If someone happens to believe in this “cooperative vs. adversarial” false dichotomy, they can write about it in the text box! How is that not enough?
We already let authors write their own moderation guidelines! It’s a blank text box!
Because it’s a blank text box, it’s not convenient for commenters to read it in detail every time, so I expect almost nobody reads it, these guidelines are not practical to follow.
With two standard options, color-coded or something, it becomes actually practical, so the distinction between blank text box and two standard options is crucial. You might still caveat the standard options with additional blank text boxes, but being easy to classify without actually reading is the important part.
Also, moderation guidelines aren’t visible on GreaterWrong at all, afaict. So Said specifically is unlikely to adjust his commenting in response to those guidelines, unless that changes.
(I assume Said mostly uses GW, since he designed it.)
I’ve been busy, so hadn’t replied to this yet, but specifically wanted to apologize for the hostile paraphrase (I notice I’ve done that at least twice now in this thread, I’m trying to better but seems important for me to notice and pay attention to).
I think I the corrigible about actually integrating the spirit-of-our-models into his commenting style” line pretty badly, Oliver and Vaniver also both thought it was pretty alarming. The thing I was trying to say I eventually reworded in my subsequent mod announcement as:
Feel free to argue with this decision. And again, in particular, if Said makes a case that he either can obey the spirit of “don’t imply people have an obligation to engage with your comments”, or someone can suggest a letter-of-the-law that actually accomplishes the thing I’m aiming at in a more clear-cut way that Said thinks he can follow, I’d feel fairly good about revoking the rate-limit.
i.e. this isn’t about Said changing this own thought process, but, like, there is a spirit-of-the-law relevant in the mod decision here, and whether I need to worry about specification-gaming.
I expect you to still object to that for various reasons, and I think it’s reasonable to be pretty suspicious of me for phrasing it the way I did the first time. (I think it does convey something sus about my thought process, but, fwiw I agree it is sus and am reflecting on it)
Feel free to argue with this decision. And again, in particular, if Said makes a case that he either can obey the spirit of “don’t imply people have an obligation to engage with your comments”, or someone can suggest a letter-of-the-law that actually accomplishes the thing I’m aiming at in a more clear-cut way that Said thinks he can follow, I’d feel fairly good about revoking the rate-limit.
Well, I’m glad you’re telling actual-me this rather than using your model of me. I count the fact your model of me is so egregiously poor (despite our having a number of interactions over the years) as a case study in favor of Said’s interaction style (of just asking people things, instead of falsely imagining that you can model them).
Yes, I would, actually, want to advocate for informing users about a feature that already exists that anyone can use, rather than writing new code specifically for the purpose of persecuting a particular user that you don’t like.
Analogously, if the town council of the city I live in passes a new tax increase, I might grumble about it, but I don’t regard it as a direct personal threat. If the town council passes a tax increase that applies specifically to my friend Said Achmiz, and no one else, that’s a threat to me and mine. A government that does that is not legitimate.
So, usually when people make this kind of “hostile paraphrase” in an argument, I tend to take it in stride. I mostly regard it as “part of the game”: I think most readers can tell the difference between an attempted fair paraphrase (which an author is expected to agree with) and an intentional hostile paraphrase (which is optimized to highlight a particular criticism, without the expectation that the author will agree with the paraphrase). I don’t tell people to be more charitable to me; I don’t ask them to pass my ideological Turing test; I just say, “That’s not what I meant,” and explain the idea again; I’m happy to do the extra work.
In this particular situation, I’m inclined to try out a different commenting style that involves me doing less interpretive labor. I think you know very well that “criticize without trying to figure out what the OP is about” is not what Said and I think is at issue. Do you think you can rephrase that sentence in a way that would pass Said’s ideological Turing test?
Right, so if someone complains about Said, point out that they’re free to strong-downvote him and that they’re free to ban him from their posts. That’s much less time-consuming than writing new code! (You’re welcome.)
Sorry, I thought your job was to run a website, not dictate to people how they should think and write? (Where part of running a website includes removing content that you don’t want on the website, but that’s not the same thing as decreeing that individuals must “integrat[e] the spirit-of-[your]-models into [their] commenting style”.) Was I mistaken about what your job is?
I am strongly opposed to this because I don’t think the proposed distinction cuts reality at the joints. (I’d be happy to elaborate on request, but will omit the detailed explanation now in order to keep this comment focused.)
We already let authors write their own moderation guidelines! It’s a blank text box! If someone happens to believe in this “cooperative vs. adversarial” false dichotomy, they can write about it in the text box! How is that not enough?
Because it’s a blank text box, it’s not convenient for commenters to read it in detail every time, so I expect almost nobody reads it, these guidelines are not practical to follow.
With two standard options, color-coded or something, it becomes actually practical, so the distinction between blank text box and two standard options is crucial. You might still caveat the standard options with additional blank text boxes, but being easy to classify without actually reading is the important part.
Also, moderation guidelines aren’t visible on GreaterWrong at all, afaict. So Said specifically is unlikely to adjust his commenting in response to those guidelines, unless that changes.
(I assume Said mostly uses GW, since he designed it.)
I’ve been busy, so hadn’t replied to this yet, but specifically wanted to apologize for the hostile paraphrase (I notice I’ve done that at least twice now in this thread, I’m trying to better but seems important for me to notice and pay attention to).
I think I the corrigible about actually integrating the spirit-of-our-models into his commenting style” line pretty badly, Oliver and Vaniver also both thought it was pretty alarming. The thing I was trying to say I eventually reworded in my subsequent mod announcement as:
i.e. this isn’t about Said changing this own thought process, but, like, there is a spirit-of-the-law relevant in the mod decision here, and whether I need to worry about specification-gaming.
I expect you to still object to that for various reasons, and I think it’s reasonable to be pretty suspicious of me for phrasing it the way I did the first time. (I think it does convey something sus about my thought process, but, fwiw I agree it is sus and am reflecting on it)
FYI, my response to this is is waiting for an answer to my question in the first paragraph of this comment.