Can you come up with a sample script of what you’re talking about? It sounds like a plausibly right explanation and my brain generates words that it thinks conform to the theory appropriately, but I appear to be really bad at being annoyed at people on LW without getting downvoted so I am trying to err on the side of asking for more help.
Sample script? Ok. I tried to imagine myself writing your post and reacting to paper-machine’s comment and that’s what I’ve come up with:
Justify what after the fact? Exercise in confirmation bias while confirming what?
Literature review is pretty much what I’m planning to do. Maybe it won’t be very systematic but then I’m not trying to write a review paper but to pick some interesting looking things and test them. If you stumble upon something real then it will stay real regardless of how much other material on the topic you read.
Arriving at silly conclusions because of biases is always a possibility and you can’t have enough warnings, that’s true, but those warnings don’t have to take the form of “you’re dooomed. Give Up!”
And I tried introspecting (ha!) and noting the thoughts that flitted through my head when I was trying to differentiate that reply from your not-very-well-received one (not all of them got applied to the hypothetical reply above):
Don’t mention your voting (to me, it always comes off as overdramatic).
If you explicitly talk about your annoyance, don’t emphasize the restraint you’ve shown in expressing it (and maybe try be a little apologetic about it—not towards the specific person you’re addressing but in a general “I’m annoyed because I’m an imperfect human being, woe is me” manner).
The fact that you got annoyed probably means that the comment contains some presupposition that casts you in a bad light. Figure out what that is and deny it.
Somehow acknowledge the possibility that the annoying comment was written in good faith—that paper-machine really wanted to warn you against biases and overdid it. That way even if the other party was really trying to score cheap rationalist-points by taking a potshot at you, they can insist on that more friendly interpretation, thus retracting their attack while still saving face. And so peace is restored thorough the Realms.
Also, this is all based on intuition and explicit cynical cognition, no experience of actually expressing my annoyance at people on LessWrong (so I have no idea if I wouldn’t be downvoted to hell too) and not that much experience in getting graciously annoyed at people in real-life. Approach with extreme distrust.
I appear to be really bad at being annoyed at people on LW without getting downvoted
Don’t take it too hard: everyone, everywhere, is really bad at being annoyed at people in general without getting some sort of status hit. This has a lot more to do with the person’s reaction to “being annoyed at” and a lot less to do with anyone’s skill at “being annoyed at” people.
Well, that wasn’t clear at all. There is no safe, good way to be annoyed at people, because people mostly don’t like it when someone’s annoyed at them. Most of these people will then retaliate in some manner that’s supposed to be unpleasant. This is the case online and off.
Sounds profound, but none of that helps you deal with these people when you’re annoyed, does it?
I think the answer lies in examining why you want to be annoyed at them: for example, if it’s to change their behaviour, then you only need look for more effective ways to change their behaviour than being annoyed. I don’t claim that changing their behaviour is your goal in being annoyed; but you should subject whatever reason you do have to some scrutiny and figure out another, potentially more effective way of achieving that goal or goals.
Can you come up with a sample script of what you’re talking about? It sounds like a plausibly right explanation and my brain generates words that it thinks conform to the theory appropriately, but I appear to be really bad at being annoyed at people on LW without getting downvoted so I am trying to err on the side of asking for more help.
Sample script? Ok. I tried to imagine myself writing your post and reacting to paper-machine’s comment and that’s what I’ve come up with:
And I tried introspecting (ha!) and noting the thoughts that flitted through my head when I was trying to differentiate that reply from your not-very-well-received one (not all of them got applied to the hypothetical reply above):
Don’t mention your voting (to me, it always comes off as overdramatic).
If you explicitly talk about your annoyance, don’t emphasize the restraint you’ve shown in expressing it (and maybe try be a little apologetic about it—not towards the specific person you’re addressing but in a general “I’m annoyed because I’m an imperfect human being, woe is me” manner).
The fact that you got annoyed probably means that the comment contains some presupposition that casts you in a bad light. Figure out what that is and deny it.
Somehow acknowledge the possibility that the annoying comment was written in good faith—that paper-machine really wanted to warn you against biases and overdid it. That way even if the other party was really trying to score cheap rationalist-points by taking a potshot at you, they can insist on that more friendly interpretation, thus retracting their attack while still saving face. And so peace is restored thorough the Realms.
Also, this is all based on intuition and explicit cynical cognition, no experience of actually expressing my annoyance at people on LessWrong (so I have no idea if I wouldn’t be downvoted to hell too) and not that much experience in getting graciously annoyed at people in real-life. Approach with extreme distrust.
Very well put.
Don’t take it too hard: everyone, everywhere, is really bad at being annoyed at people in general without getting some sort of status hit. This has a lot more to do with the person’s reaction to “being annoyed at” and a lot less to do with anyone’s skill at “being annoyed at” people.
Well, that wasn’t clear at all. There is no safe, good way to be annoyed at people, because people mostly don’t like it when someone’s annoyed at them. Most of these people will then retaliate in some manner that’s supposed to be unpleasant. This is the case online and off.
Sounds profound, but none of that helps you deal with these people when you’re annoyed, does it?
I think the answer lies in examining why you want to be annoyed at them: for example, if it’s to change their behaviour, then you only need look for more effective ways to change their behaviour than being annoyed. I don’t claim that changing their behaviour is your goal in being annoyed; but you should subject whatever reason you do have to some scrutiny and figure out another, potentially more effective way of achieving that goal or goals.