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“A Statement with My View on Curtis Yarvin and Strange Loop”

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Re: “A Statement with My View on Curtis Yarvin and Strange Loop”

#31

Post by pep888 »

topynate wrote: post #11

Kicking people from your tech conference because they were racist outside of it hands veto power to whoever determines what racism is and when something is 'too racist'. The same goes for the other beyond-the-pale isms like sexism, fascism, etc. I commented on a flagged post on why this is an issue for me personally: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9674958

No, it is not. That is flatly untrue nonsense. It is always SL's decision, that they are making with feedback

It saddens me that you're making this obviously fallacious argument, because your reasoning is so transparent. You're a Zionist, who has sworn allegience to a genocidal government. As a supporter of genocide, you are concerned that someday you'll face consequences for your decision to materially support mass murder.

So, you're trying to criminalize, and shame the idea that anything is ever wrong... because some part of you knows that what you're doing is one of the worst things in all of human history.

That's also why you make up phrases like 'Progressive Except Palestine', to attack those who oppose the genocide that you so love.

Re: “A Statement with My View on Curtis Yarvin and Strange Loop”

#32

Post by braythwayt »

paxdickinson wrote: post #25
braythwayt wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If I am the CEO of a company, and I listen to people before making my own decision, am I “handing them veto power?” I think this is Alex Miller’s decision.

It'll be his decision next time too. And now that the Red Guards know he'll succumb to even the slightest bit of pressure, there will certainly be a next time.

I don’t know that we can use words like “succumb.” It’s always that way when you have a strong opinion about a particular matter.

For example, we can praise Obama for listening to scientists on certain matters, than complain he is caving under lobbying pressure on others.

In the end, I prefer to say that it is Alex’s decision. He didn’t crumble, succumb, get browbeaten, or anything else. He decided, and that means you can hang the responsibility around his neck.

People who can’t decide shouldn’t run things, it’s that simple.

Re: “A Statement with My View on Curtis Yarvin and Strange Loop”

#33

Post by topynate »

braythwayt wrote: post #17
topynate wrote: post #11

Kicking people from your tech conference because they were racist outside of it hands veto power to whoever determines what racism is and when something is 'too racist'. The same goes for the other beyond-the-pale isms like sexism, fascism, etc. I commented on a flagged post on why this is an issue for me personally: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9674958

If I am the CEO of a company, and I listen to people before making my own decision, am I “handing them veto power?” I think this is Alex Miller’s decision.

A realist view looks at the various players and makes an informed judgment of what their power is. Alex Miller indisputably has final say on who attends the conference. That doesn't make him a dictator. If he doesn't follow people like Steve Klabnik and Alex Payne on stuff like this, the personal and business consequences to him will be immense. As his statement says, he hasn't read Yarvin's political writings. Nevertheless it took him only a few hours to decide that it would not be possible to have Yarvin present. Is that not strong evidence that Miller felt his options were limited?

Re: “A Statement with My View on Curtis Yarvin and Strange Loop”

#34

Post by Afforess »

What outcomes do actions like this encourage? Well, it encourages controversial writers to stay in the shadows, hide their real identities, lest the vigilante mobs find them. This outcome also encourages people in general to say less, creates an atmosphere of self-censorship, and so harms our free society.

Whatever happened to "I do not agree with what you have to say, but I'll defend to the death your right to say it."?

If we can not learn to tolerate others and respect their opinions, even those we find distasteful or deplorable, we will reap the consquences, and stagnate as a culture.

Re: “A Statement with My View on Curtis Yarvin and Strange Loop”

#36

Post by yummyfajitas »

tomjen3 wrote: post #22
yummyfajitas wrote: post #8

I wonder - suppose someone Alex Miller agreed with, but who also caused controversy, was met with opposition by folks who disliked her. For example, suppose a bunch of gamergate types were to complain about Brianna Wu giving a purely technical talk about pathfinding and AI. Would all the folks who are so quick to defend Strangeloop also defend it in this case? Somehow I doubt it.

Almost certainly not, but that is the way of people. That's a separate question from whether they are right or wrong though. I distinctly don't like the way things are going and believe me I have no sympathy for the political views of Curtis, but the talk isn't about that. If Brianna Wu could actually deliver a technical talk, I say let her. If he wanted to talk about neoreaction there are other places he can go to.

I'm not sure if you meant to imply that Yarvin wanted to talk about neoreaction, but he distinctly did not. His talk was about Urbit: https://github.com/urbit/urbit

Re: “A Statement with My View on Curtis Yarvin and Strange Loop”

#37

Post by whatucantsay1 »

saryant wrote: post #30

This incident reminds me of growing up as the son of an oil company's PR man in the Bay Area. We lived in one of the small towns in the North Bay. My father handled public and government relations for the oil refinery in that small town. A contingent of the opposition was especially vocal in their distaste for the plant. An orthodontist refused to take me on as a patient due to my father's job. Snide remarks from tea…

That sucks. "Horizontal Censorship" is definitely on the rise: http://pando.com/2015/02/04/the-geometry-of-censorship-and-s...

Re: “A Statement with My View on Curtis Yarvin and Strange Loop”

#38

Post by paxdickinson »

pep888 wrote: post #31
topynate wrote: post #11

Kicking people from your tech conference because they were racist outside of it hands veto power to whoever determines what racism is and when something is 'too racist'. The same goes for the other beyond-the-pale isms like sexism, fascism, etc. I commented on a flagged post on why this is an issue for me personally: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9674958

No, it is not. That is flatly untrue nonsense. It is always SL's decision, that they are making with feedback It saddens me that you're making this obviously fallacious argument, because your reasoning is so transparent. You're a Zionist, who has sworn allegience to a genocidal government. As a supporter of genocide, you are concerned that someday you'll face consequences for your decision to materially support mass…

This guy sounds like he would be happy to see anti-Zionism as a litmus test for conference speakers.

Is that the kind of tech industry you want? Should speakers at technical conferences have all their political opinions pre-vetted for approval by a panel of progressives?

Re: “A Statement with My View on Curtis Yarvin and Strange Loop”

#39

Post by pixelperfect »

I am curious, could someone link to the most objectionable content by Curtis Yarvin? I don't think prohibiting someone from speaking at a private tech conference due to offensive views is necessarily a bad thing (e.g. prohibiting a KKK member from speaking), however without seeing his objectionable content I don't know if it's appropriate in this circumstance.

Alex Miller said he made his decision without reading any of Curtis's content, and I don't think that's a good idea. Otherwise any group loud enough could get anyone blocked from speaking, regardless of whether they did anything wrong.

Re: “A Statement with My View on Curtis Yarvin and Strange Loop”

#40

Post by leereeves »

saryant wrote: post #30

This incident reminds me of growing up as the son of an oil company's PR man in the Bay Area. We lived in one of the small towns in the North Bay. My father handled public and government relations for the oil refinery in that small town. A contingent of the opposition was especially vocal in their distaste for the plant. An orthodontist refused to take me on as a patient due to my father's job. Snide remarks from tea…

What kind of extremist attacks a child because of their father's political views?
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