Not signing up for cryonics is a rationality error on my part. What stops me is an irrational impulse I can’t defeat: I seem to subsonsciously value “being normal” more than winning in this particular game. It is similar to byrnema’s situation with religion a while ago. That said, I don’t think any of the enumerated arguments against cryonics actually work. All such posts feel like they’re writing the bottom line in advance.
Quite embarrassingly, my immediate reaction was ‘What? Trying to be normal? That doesn’t make sense. Europeans can’t be normal anyway.’ I am entirely unsure as to what cognitive process managed to create that gem of an observation.
I’m a Russian living in Moscow, so I hardly count as a European. But as perceptions of normality go, the most “normal” people in the world to me are those from the poor parts of Europe and the rich parts of the 3rd world, followed by richer Europeans (internal nickname “aliens”), followed by Americans (internal nickname “robots”). So if the scale works both ways, I’d probably look even weirder to you than the average European.
I feel that Americans are more “professional”: they can perform a more complete context-switch into the job they have to do and the rules they have to follow. In contrast, a Russian at work is usually the same slacker self as the Russian at home, or sometimes the same unbalanced work-obsessed self.
I’m not judging culture, I’m judging people. Don’t personally know anyone from Japan. Know some Filipinos and they seemed very “normal” and understandable to me, moreso than Americans.
I wanted to visit Russia and Ukraine anyway, but this conversation has made me update in favor of the importance of doing so. I’ve never come into contact with an alien before. I’ve heard, however, that ex-Soviets tend to have a more live-and-let-live style of interacting with people who look touristy than, for example, Brazil or Greece, so perhaps it will take an extra effort on my part to discover if there really is a tangible aspect of alienness.
Not signing up for cryonics is a rationality error on my part. What stops me is an irrational impulse I can’t defeat: I seem to subsonsciously value “being normal” more than winning in this particular game. It is similar to byrnema’s situation with religion a while ago. That said, I don’t think any of the enumerated arguments against cryonics actually work. All such posts feel like they’re writing the bottom line in advance.
Quite embarrassingly, my immediate reaction was ‘What? Trying to be normal? That doesn’t make sense. Europeans can’t be normal anyway.’ I am entirely unsure as to what cognitive process managed to create that gem of an observation.
I’m a Russian living in Moscow, so I hardly count as a European. But as perceptions of normality go, the most “normal” people in the world to me are those from the poor parts of Europe and the rich parts of the 3rd world, followed by richer Europeans (internal nickname “aliens”), followed by Americans (internal nickname “robots”). So if the scale works both ways, I’d probably look even weirder to you than the average European.
I would love to hear more about how you see the behavior of Americans, and why you see us as “robots”!
I feel that Americans are more “professional”: they can perform a more complete context-switch into the job they have to do and the rules they have to follow. In contrast, a Russian at work is usually the same slacker self as the Russian at home, or sometimes the same unbalanced work-obsessed self.
What is your impression of the ‘weirdness’ of the Japanese culture? ’Cuz it’s pretty high up there for me.
I’m not judging culture, I’m judging people. Don’t personally know anyone from Japan. Know some Filipinos and they seemed very “normal” and understandable to me, moreso than Americans.
I wanted to visit Russia and Ukraine anyway, but this conversation has made me update in favor of the importance of doing so. I’ve never come into contact with an alien before. I’ve heard, however, that ex-Soviets tend to have a more live-and-let-live style of interacting with people who look touristy than, for example, Brazil or Greece, so perhaps it will take an extra effort on my part to discover if there really is a tangible aspect of alienness.