SneerClub

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Hurling ordure at the TREACLES, especially those closely related to LessWrong.

AI-Industrial-Complex grift is fine as long as it sufficiently relates to the AI doom from the TREACLES. (Though TechTakes may be more suitable.)

This is sneer club, not debate club. Unless it's amusing debate.

[Especially don't debate the race scientists, if any sneak in - we ban and delete them as unsuitable for the server.]

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Lightcone is so outraged at the Guardian article that they have started a prediction market about it (manifold.markets)

submitted 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago) by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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WE DEMAND A CORRECTION TO uh various minor nitpicks

also we swear we totally didn't get your email

bonus from thread:

I am having a lot of fun on Manifold, but if the team insists on inviting eugenics speakers to conferences, its probably time for me to leave :-/

What exactly is your objection to people exercising their bodily autonomy to implement voluntary eugenics?

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[–] [email protected] 23 points 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago) (2 children)

Well, they got their wish, the Guardian piece is now updated:

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/article/2024/jun/16/sam-bankman-fried-ftx-eugenics-scientific-racism

This article was amended on 17 June 2024 to include a comment from Oliver Habryka about the purchase of Lighthaven that was received after publication; in responding, Habryka disclosed an escrow document for the property’s purchase showing a $1m deposit from, and refunded to, North Dimension Inc, a subsidiary of FTX’s sister company Alameda, which he said meant “the relevant funds never entered our bank account”. An earlier version mistakenly said Lightcone, rather than CFAR, was the sole member of Lightcone Rose Garden, and that Habryka was the latter’s registered agent, when another individual is listed in that role. A reference to Manifund as a “prediction market” has also been corrected.

I think the Gruaniad had a lot of fun with this. By hyperfocusing on the nitpicks, the rats gave them an open goal in correcting tiny details (who now cares whether any money from SBF actually entered the account of Lightcone?) but left the bigger details in place: namely that Lightcone is tight with racists.

Edit a few libertarians(?) in the comments are urging Habryka to sue for libel in the UK, totally fine with using the power of the state to enforce speech! He modestly declines, likely he knows it's not a slam-dunk win (especially if the newspaper actually amends the piece) and that news orgs live for being sued for defamation. It's the classic sign of a bully to sue, and it generates a ton of press.

[–] [email protected] 19 points 6 months ago (2 children)

habryka on LW:

(To be clear, for LessOnline we didn't invite anyone who I think even remotely fits that description, I think? It's plausible we missed something, but like, actual racism is totally the kind of thing that would have caused me to remove someone from the "blogs we love" list, if it was part of their blogging.

Manifest runs a much stronger "just invite people who are popular and share interests, with less regards for why they are popular" policy, which I think has a bunch of stuff going for it, but definitely produces a very different selection of speakers as I think is apparent from looking at the invited speaker lists.)

the long list of race scientists are not "actual racism" ok dude. this is in reply to someone saying that it was these precise people that kept him from attending

[–] [email protected] 10 points 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago)

Lol this is not the great anti-racist response they might think it is.

"We would never invite (especially blatant eugenics level) racists to LessOnline! The Manifestival on the other hand... (conveniently advertised on the LessOnline homepage and discount tickets if you go to both!)"

[–] [email protected] 8 points 6 months ago (1 children)

i would think that for habryka “actual racism” means something like open calls to genocide, not, you know, actual racism.

[–] [email protected] 13 points 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago) (1 children)

I don't think even that does it. Richard Hanania, one of Manifest's promoted speakers, wrote "Why Do I Hate Pronouns More Than Genocide?".

[–] [email protected] 17 points 6 months ago

i remember reading on a Right Stuff forum a guy detail why even different varieties of white people genetically couldn't get on and then say "I'm not even racist." at that point i realised there were no racist statements in the english language

[–] [email protected] 15 points 6 months ago

and yeah, nfw this piece wasn't closely inspected by legal and the writers are thinking "please please bring it the fuck on"