The article pulls quotes out of context, looking for the problematizing angle, distorting the implications of word choice.
Meta: Exactly the same thing could happen with this discussion, if Cade Metz was in a mood to write an article about Less Wrong. Just saying. It could probably be twisted into something like: “the mysterious evil people who manipulate Silicon Valley from shadows are having a sinister discussion about how to retaliate against a brave journalist who exposed the secrets of their cult.”
To me the story seemed composed of two almost unrelated parts. (At least this is how I remember it; I am not going to re-read it again.) I think the second part is the main attack on Scott, and the first part is essentially constructing the argument why attacking Scott is “punching down”. I am possibly just imagining things, but I wonder whether the second part was written first (before Scott took down his blog), and the first part was added later when it became obvious that many famous people would defend Scott, to explain that it’s actually evidence that those people are part of Scott’s sinister cabal.
For those of us writing under a pseudonym, should we all just be revealing our real names
You forgot the part about quitting our jobs first. :( Luckily, I am not a sufficiently big fish to care.
Also, I oppose the norm of “people should write under their real names” that is being pushed on us by the advertising/tracking business. I probably cannot win here, but that is no reason to make their jobs easier.
People who read newspapers have short memory. Two weeks later no one will remember this. It’s just that the next time someone else decides to make a hatchet job on the rationalist community, they will have one more “reliable source” to quote. Also, someone will quote that article in Wikipedia. I can almost guess his name.
Meta: Exactly the same thing could happen with this discussion, if Cade Metz was in a mood to write an article about Less Wrong. Just saying. It could probably be twisted into something like: “the mysterious evil people who manipulate Silicon Valley from shadows are having a sinister discussion about how to retaliate against a brave journalist who exposed the secrets of their cult.”
To me the story seemed composed of two almost unrelated parts. (At least this is how I remember it; I am not going to re-read it again.) I think the second part is the main attack on Scott, and the first part is essentially constructing the argument why attacking Scott is “punching down”. I am possibly just imagining things, but I wonder whether the second part was written first (before Scott took down his blog), and the first part was added later when it became obvious that many famous people would defend Scott, to explain that it’s actually evidence that those people are part of Scott’s sinister cabal.
You forgot the part about quitting our jobs first. :( Luckily, I am not a sufficiently big fish to care.
Also, I oppose the norm of “people should write under their real names” that is being pushed on us by the advertising/tracking business. I probably cannot win here, but that is no reason to make their jobs easier.
People who read newspapers have short memory. Two weeks later no one will remember this. It’s just that the next time someone else decides to make a hatchet job on the rationalist community, they will have one more “reliable source” to quote. Also, someone will quote that article in Wikipedia. I can almost guess his name.