I am a little concerned about the tone of this comment (and a little less so about the post overall).
If what this contest represents is a (free and fair) election, I don’t think we should tell people “you SHOULD vote for A” or “you SHOULDN’T vote for B”.
I would feel equally uncomfortable if we did this for any other type of election, especially without giving any rationale for our recommendations.
Rather, people should vote based on their preferences (and ideally, these would be informed by more than just in-group recommendations) - if this is Will, great, if it’s someone else you feel deserves this more than him, more power to you.
To the extent that this contest is a free and fair election (and it’s not; internet polls are fundamentally insecure), it is legitimate for people to influence other people’s votes by giving them recommendations. Voters ultimately make their own decisions.
Admittedly I wrote the above comment in a rush, but I did give a rationale for my last recommendation (“don’t vote for Kathleen Stock because she’s a TERF”) - Stock has advocated for beliefs that harm transgender people. Specifically, she has signed a statement that describes “the practice of transgenderism” as inherently sexist (1, 2). (For clarification, TERF stands for “trans-exclusionary radical feminist”.)
I am a little concerned about the tone of this comment (and a little less so about the post overall). If what this contest represents is a (free and fair) election, I don’t think we should tell people “you SHOULD vote for A” or “you SHOULDN’T vote for B”. I would feel equally uncomfortable if we did this for any other type of election, especially without giving any rationale for our recommendations. Rather, people should vote based on their preferences (and ideally, these would be informed by more than just in-group recommendations) - if this is Will, great, if it’s someone else you feel deserves this more than him, more power to you.
To the extent that this contest is a free and fair election (and it’s not; internet polls are fundamentally insecure), it is legitimate for people to influence other people’s votes by giving them recommendations. Voters ultimately make their own decisions.
Admittedly I wrote the above comment in a rush, but I did give a rationale for my last recommendation (“don’t vote for Kathleen Stock because she’s a TERF”) - Stock has advocated for beliefs that harm transgender people. Specifically, she has signed a statement that describes “the practice of transgenderism” as inherently sexist (1, 2). (For clarification, TERF stands for “trans-exclusionary radical feminist”.)