I find this desire for control over other people and spaces bad.
I think the key words in the text you quoted are “spaces associated with us”:
If it’s an EA space, then it isn’t really an “other” space.
If it’s a non-EA space that is somehow being coded by others as an EA space, then it’s reasonable for EA to distance itself from that space and to expect the other organization to make its non-EA nature quite clear.
Imagine there was someone with the same name as me writing vile nonsense on the internet, and others were misattributing it to me and making my life difficult. I would desire a measure of control over that situation, but it wouldn’t be to silence speech I find distasteful. It would be to protect my own valid interest in not being associated with that speech.
Hmmmm maybe. But what does distancing mean? Does it mean “saying we aren’t rationalists”? That option has always been available to EAs who aren’t. Does it mean “never booking events at lighthaven”? That seems pretty silencing.
I think the key words in the text you quoted are “spaces associated with us”:
If it’s an EA space, then it isn’t really an “other” space.
If it’s a non-EA space that is somehow being coded by others as an EA space, then it’s reasonable for EA to distance itself from that space and to expect the other organization to make its non-EA nature quite clear.
Imagine there was someone with the same name as me writing vile nonsense on the internet, and others were misattributing it to me and making my life difficult. I would desire a measure of control over that situation, but it wouldn’t be to silence speech I find distasteful. It would be to protect my own valid interest in not being associated with that speech.
Hmmmm maybe. But what does distancing mean? Does it mean “saying we aren’t rationalists”? That option has always been available to EAs who aren’t. Does it mean “never booking events at lighthaven”? That seems pretty silencing.