a relatively narrow majority on polarized subjects can give you important control over the conversation.
The proper way to fix this is to agree to downvote all mindkilled comments regardless of whether they “support our side”.
If we cannot agree on this norm… goodbye rationality.
If we can agree on voting on comments by criteria other than “my tribe or the other tribe”, then we have a chance for a meaningful discussion.
Specifically:
Someone posts a comment promoting tribe X, without any rationalist merit. -- Proper reaction: downvote.
Someone posts a comment suggesting we need to discourage members of tribe X from participating on LW. -- Proper reaction: also a downvote.
The proper way to fix this is to agree to downvote all mindkilled comments regardless of whether they “support our side”.
If we cannot agree on this norm… goodbye rationality.
If we can agree on voting on comments by criteria other than “my tribe or the other tribe”, then we have a chance for a meaningful discussion.
Specifically:
Someone posts a comment promoting tribe X, without any rationalist merit. -- Proper reaction: downvote.
Someone posts a comment suggesting we need to discourage members of tribe X from participating on LW. -- Proper reaction: also a downvote.