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naraburns  nihil supernum  1yr ago (text post)   3370 thread views

Small-Scale Question Sunday for January 1, 2023

Happy New Year!

Do you have a dumb question that you're kind of embarrassed to ask in the main thread? Is there something you're just not sure about?

This is your opportunity to ask questions. No question too simple or too silly.

Culture war topics are accepted, and proposals for a better intro post are appreciated.

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Oh wow, I hadn't realized that was actually Aella when I saw it posted elsewhere. The rationalist obsession with that woman is really one of the movements biggest red flags to me.

It's odd to me that she's made it this far on what's really, really common schtick. Go to any literary-debate club or half-serious political discussion group at an Ivy-Or-Similar school and there will be at least half a dozen girls making an absolute killing doing the exact same thing.

I don't think there's any obsession, but she's maintaining pretty active media profile and she's more interesting than most of public rationalists (come on, situation report about mosquito nets in Africa or interview with a rationalist escort/camgirl - what are you clicking on?) for most of the public. I think if it's the biggest red flag, they're doing ok so far.

Ive heard her mentioned more times in places that shit on rationalists more than from rarionalists. Or just dont use twitter.

I don't think rationalists talk about Aella enough for it to be 'one of the biggest red flags'? I never see her mentioned on lesswrong, and only occasionally on SSC. She's more often seen on twitter of course.

I wouldn't say I'm the most rationalist community person, but I've been around this scene for over a decade, and I've never even heard her mentioned (or maybe I never noticed her being mentioned) before this very thread.

Probably the latter - she's all over rationalist twitter, and definitely has been mentioned in at least five scottposts.

I guess it's just that Scott sometimes talks about her in a way that kind of implies she's are very cached reference, throwing out her name in such a way that implies we're all pretty familiar.

No group is immune to e-girl bullshit.

(except explicitly gay groups)

Do they have e-guy bullshit, or does the easy availability of sex to gay men immunize them?

I was wondering if there was a gay equivalent to Aella. I suspect not because they lack enough reach and potential audience to start becoming known for things other than camwhoring.

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