From: Eliezer S. Yudkowsky (sentience@pobox.com)
Date: Tue Sep 28 1999 - 16:47:02 MDT
k_aegis@mindspring.com wrote:
>
> Eliezer writes:
> > I've always construed the intent of Crocker's Rules as a >personal declaration of personal responsibility for personal >reactions. I don't say: "I can say anything I want to anyone, and >if they take offense, it's their fault." I say: "Anyone can say >anything they want to me, and if I take offense, it's my fault."
>
> Thinking about Crocker's Rules, I conclude that they only work when two parties explicitly agree to abide by them.
*No*. That is exactly *not* the point. *Anyone* can be as rude as they
like to me, whether or not they abide by Crocker's Rules themselves. No
reciprocity is implied. I am not giving other people the "privilege" of
being rude to me, either because I'm such a saintly doormat, or because
I expect the same privilege in return. I'm making it easier for others
to communicate with me, because I believe I have mastered the mental
discipline that enables them to do so; the set of beliefs and reactions
that enables me to regard straightforwardness - or rudeness, where it's
honest rudeness - as communication rather than disrespect.
> Also, it seems to not promote emotional maturation or internal adjustment to the other person, but rather saying--You have to treat me the way I want to be treated, and I get to treat you the way I want to treat you.
Again, this is exactly not the point.
> According to cultural historians, 'manners' originated precisely to minimize threats of violence.
I've heard that theory. I don't believe it's entirely true, or even
that it's mostly true in a majority of cases. Your own conception of
rudeness as privilege, and the historical development of politeness as
being due to superiors and equals but not to inferiors, would seem to
contradict the point.
Besides which - nobody has to be polite to me, because I've made the
unilateral commitment not to be violent to them. Again, Crocker's Rules
are a mental discipline, not an agreement.
--
sentience@pobox.com Eliezer S. Yudkowsky
http://pobox.com/~sentience/tmol-faq/meaningoflife.html
Running on BeOS Typing in Dvorak Programming with Patterns
Voting for Libertarians Heading for Singularity There Is A Better Way
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