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.)
+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.)