Congratulations on having friends who’re receptive to you! And thank you so much for sharing, we definitely need more data points as the movement grows. :)
I wrote on Facebook before that I think while being normal and relatable is a good hook to get people interested in EA, I don’t think it will actually make it more likely to make your friends interested than if you’re very dedicated. In particular, I think there is a confusion between “emulatable” and “marketable” efforts:
Put another way, if Person A, who is truly obsessed with making the world a better place is just as good (or, it sometimes implied, worse) at persuading other people to make the world a better place than Person B, who is only moderately interested in doing so, then this should come across as a huge surprise. It should not be tacitly assumed. Rather, Person A is doing something Very Wrong, and figuring out ways to correct this mistake should become a huge priority in EA.
Congratulations on having friends who’re receptive to you! And thank you so much for sharing, we definitely need more data points as the movement grows. :)
I wrote on Facebook before that I think while being normal and relatable is a good hook to get people interested in EA, I don’t think it will actually make it more likely to make your friends interested than if you’re very dedicated. In particular, I think there is a confusion between “emulatable” and “marketable” efforts:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/effective.altruists/permalink/933455813377443/?comment_id=934292356627122&comment_tracking=%7B%22tn%22%3A%22R1%22%7D
Put another way, if Person A, who is truly obsessed with making the world a better place is just as good (or, it sometimes implied, worse) at persuading other people to make the world a better place than Person B, who is only moderately interested in doing so, then this should come across as a huge surprise. It should not be tacitly assumed. Rather, Person A is doing something Very Wrong, and figuring out ways to correct this mistake should become a huge priority in EA.