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Notes from the SF peptide scene

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Re: Notes from the SF peptide scene

#21

Post by weego »

Aurornis wrote: post #6

This article is an anecdote extrapolated to something bigger: A type of lazy writing where the writer has a single social experience with a group of weird people and then writes about it like it’s the common experience in a place. The writer went to SF for a few days and went to one party where a group of friends were into peptides. From the article, they were also particularly terrible people. Just read this quote:…

It's not journalism though is it, it's just someone's blog where they can tell any story they want, as has been the entire history of story telling. With that out of the way the rest of your post is just flanneling.

Re: Notes from the SF peptide scene

#22

Post by sonofhans »

Aurornis wrote: post #6

This article is an anecdote extrapolated to something bigger: A type of lazy writing where the writer has a single social experience with a group of weird people and then writes about it like it’s the common experience in a place. The writer went to SF for a few days and went to one party where a group of friends were into peptides. From the article, they were also particularly terrible people. Just read this quote:…

Well said. This is better written and more sensible than the article itself.

Re: Notes from the SF peptide scene

#23

Post by perching_aix »

ambicapter wrote: post #4

I think this author has a very different conception of what “sincerity” is than I do, but I guess that’s the difference between the east coast and the west coast.

Yeah lol, it reminded me to this Onion post:

> Claim: My uncle says Mamdani will abolish the entire NYPD.

> Fact: Your uncle does say that.

Re: Notes from the SF peptide scene

#24

Post by stickfigure »

Aurornis wrote: post #18
tptacek wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is a blog post, not journalism as such. It's someone humorously recounting their own personal experience. They have no responsibility to contextualize anything for you.

Okay? Points still stand: It’s written as an authoritative exploration of a social scene extrapolated from a few days visiting a place and attending one party. If someone’s writing in journalistic style I think it’s fair to criticize it as journalism, even if it’s on Substack

It is not presented as authoritative anything, except perhaps one person's experience. And we should assume it is embellished.

You are taking this far too seriously. It is a vignette which captures the flavor of a place at a particular time. And it is delightfully written.

Re: Notes from the SF peptide scene

#26

Post by Aurornis »

weego wrote: post #21
Aurornis wrote: post #6

This article is an anecdote extrapolated to something bigger: A type of lazy writing where the writer has a single social experience with a group of weird people and then writes about it like it’s the common experience in a place. The writer went to SF for a few days and went to one party where a group of friends were into peptides. From the article, they were also particularly terrible people. Just read this quote:…

It's not journalism though is it, it's just someone's blog where they can tell any story they want, as has been the entire history of story telling. With that out of the way the rest of your post is just flanneling.

If the title was “I went to a single party while visiting SF and say some weird things” I might agree, but the article from beginning to end is written as if the party was a lens into society as a whole and indicative of larger trends.

There’s a motte and bailey thing going on with this type of rationalist writing where someone writes authoritatively on broad subjects and then when anyone starts responding to it they immediately repeats to “it’s just a blog” to forgive all of the problems with it.

Re: Notes from the SF peptide scene

#27

Post by lanyard-textile »

Aurornis wrote: post #6

This article is an anecdote extrapolated to something bigger: A type of lazy writing where the writer has a single social experience with a group of weird people and then writes about it like it’s the common experience in a place. The writer went to SF for a few days and went to one party where a group of friends were into peptides. From the article, they were also particularly terrible people. Just read this quote:…

I'm inclined to agree.

But...

I'm also inclined to believe we are not the cool people being invited to these circles :)

Looking at what has happened with wegovy etc, it doesn't seem impossible.

Re: Notes from the SF peptide scene

#28

Post by Aurornis »

stickfigure wrote: post #24
Aurornis wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Okay? Points still stand: It’s written as an authoritative exploration of a social scene extrapolated from a few days visiting a place and attending one party. If someone’s writing in journalistic style I think it’s fair to criticize it as journalism, even if it’s on Substack

It is not presented as authoritative anything, except perhaps one person's experience. And we should assume it is embellished. You are taking this far too seriously. It is a vignette which captures the flavor of a place at a particular time. And it is delightfully written.

> It is a vignette which captures the flavor of a place at a particular time.

That’s my point: It captured a specific party with a small group of friends, but the blog goes on to wax philosophically about how it’s indicative of society and tech as a whole

It’s a perfect motte-and-bailey setup where you’re supposed to read it as a big trend indicative of a place and a scene, but the second anyone criticizes the writing it becomes a retreat to arguments that we shouldn’t take it seriously, that’s it’s just a blog, that we should selectively believe it’s embellished however convenient to defuse any criticism.

Re: Notes from the SF peptide scene

#29

Post by rib3ye »

weego wrote: post #21
Aurornis wrote: post #6

This article is an anecdote extrapolated to something bigger: A type of lazy writing where the writer has a single social experience with a group of weird people and then writes about it like it’s the common experience in a place. The writer went to SF for a few days and went to one party where a group of friends were into peptides. From the article, they were also particularly terrible people. Just read this quote:…

It's not journalism though is it, it's just someone's blog where they can tell any story they want, as has been the entire history of story telling. With that out of the way the rest of your post is just flanneling.

this is likely to be the most interesting argument I will read today: is substack legit editorial journalism?

certainly there is no organized journalistic outfit behind it, but also, a lot of legit journalists want their substacks to be taken as facts of record.

Re: Notes from the SF peptide scene

#30

Post by dkarl »

Aurornis wrote: post #6

This article is an anecdote extrapolated to something bigger: A type of lazy writing where the writer has a single social experience with a group of weird people and then writes about it like it’s the common experience in a place. The writer went to SF for a few days and went to one party where a group of friends were into peptides. From the article, they were also particularly terrible people. Just read this quote:…

I don't think that's the way you're supposed to read it? I think you're supposed to read it as, the trendy extremes tell you something about a place, even if the details are silly and ephemeral. People with no filter, no shame, no interest in correctness or consequences, and no pole star except trends are like a cartoon guide to the trends and the mentality driving them.

I think the author would agree with most of what you wrote.

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