\n\nLatest hullaballoo: Curtis Yarvin (aka \u201cMencius Moldbug\u201d) was invited to give a presentation on his new computer system Urbit to the Strange Loop tech conference. Then some of his ideological enemies (actually literal Communists) found out, objected to his political views, and he got banned from the conference.
\nArticle here, Hacker News thread here, impressively prescient Moldbug post here, demonstration of inevitable Streisand Effect here.
\nI did consider not linking this since it\u2019s so obviously toxoplasma, but I was convinced to do so by this letter where the conference organizer states he\u2019s never read any Moldbug himself, but decided to cave to the ban request because otherwise politics overshadow the conference, which was supposed to be about tech.
\nThis kind of crystallizes a pattern I\u2019ve been noticing recently where some social justice activists use a tactic along the lines of \u201cNice institution youse gots here, shame if somebody were to politicize it\u201d.
\nI sympathize with the desire to give into that to avoid trouble, but I think maybe the only way to avoid enshrining that kind of heckler\u2019s veto always working is to make it clear that the choice to give in will also be politicized.
\nMaybe if organizers know that banning all insufficiently-leftist-people and not banning all insufficiently-leftist-people will both result in politicization and Internet firestorms, they\u2019ll say \u201cscrew it\u201d and just follow their principles.
\n
Via Slate Star Codex. Apparently you're not allowed to speak about anything at all if you don't have The Right Political Opinions At The Right Time, especially when the #hashTagMob start bullying and heckling. The best response to the #hashTagMob is to double down and invite *more* people they disagree with. Giving in gives them the ability to say \"See, we were right!\" and then they'll do more of it. Once you pay extortion, you never get rid of the extortionist.
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