(nods) Agreed, what you describe is a perfectly fine attitude for a corner of the Internet that is willing to reinforce social habits that are inappropriate for dealing with the wider population.
It is, of course, a counterproductive attitude for a corner of the Internet that wishes to train its members to deal increasingly effectively with the wider population. An entry-level skill for that is complying with the communication protocol your listener is likely to use.
It’s a matter of what this corner of the Internet conceives of its purpose as being, and what it is willing to do in support of that purpose.
Of course, it is possible to do both… to train fluency with the popular communications protocol in a specialized opt-in channel, for example, and allow interactions elsewhere to use “nerd-default” protocols.
My ideal would be that people be explicitly taught that social conventions are just that, and not a universal mode of interaction. We already have cached wisdom like “when in Rome” but we (both LW and society in general) can and should be doing much better. And part of that would be learning that politeness is a matter of context, with examples of places where default polite behaviour is perceived as rude.
(nods) Agreed, what you describe is a perfectly fine attitude for a corner of the Internet that is willing to reinforce social habits that are inappropriate for dealing with the wider population.
It is, of course, a counterproductive attitude for a corner of the Internet that wishes to train its members to deal increasingly effectively with the wider population. An entry-level skill for that is complying with the communication protocol your listener is likely to use.
It’s a matter of what this corner of the Internet conceives of its purpose as being, and what it is willing to do in support of that purpose.
Of course, it is possible to do both… to train fluency with the popular communications protocol in a specialized opt-in channel, for example, and allow interactions elsewhere to use “nerd-default” protocols.
My ideal would be that people be explicitly taught that social conventions are just that, and not a universal mode of interaction. We already have cached wisdom like “when in Rome” but we (both LW and society in general) can and should be doing much better. And part of that would be learning that politeness is a matter of context, with examples of places where default polite behaviour is perceived as rude.
Another such cached wisdom:
Pardon him, Theodotus; he is a barbarian, and thinks that the customs of his tribe and island are the laws of nature.
-- George Bernard Shaw