It’s not very related to LW or rationality (although in technical terms it touches on Pascal’s Mugging), but I want to post this underrated “creepypasta” anyway; it’s one of my favourites and I remembered it after flipping through that hippie blog that Will linked me to:
On his way home that night, as he walked through town, a man stepped out of an alley in front of him. He tensed to defend himself, but the man just stood there. Looking him over, he realized the man looked like a hippie. Something of a comedy caricature of a hippie, really. Long unwashed hair and beard, sandals...and a sandwich board reading ‘THE END IS NIGH’. That, he thought, was unusual, even for a hippie.
“You want something?” he asked.
“The world’s ending,” said the hippie. “I need your help.”
He stepped around the hippie and kept walking. High as a kite, he thought to himself. The hippie started walking after him, and fell into step beside him.
“Please, I need your help,” said the hippie.
“Look, man, I’m really not interested,” he said, and kept walking.
The hippie leaned against a wall, watching him walk away. The hippie wasn’t all that disappointed; lots of people gave this kind of response. Another skeptic, he thought to himself, fingering the ragged holes through the middles of his hands.
It’s not very related to LW or rationality (although in technical terms it touches on Pascal’s Mugging), but I want to post this underrated “creepypasta” anyway; it’s one of my favourites and I remembered it after flipping through that hippie blog that Will linked me to: