My mental model is that in the early years, a disproportionately large portion of the EA community consisted of the community’s founders and their friends (and friends of friends, etc.) This cohort is likely to be very tolerant of the early members’ idiosyncrasies- it’s even possible some of those friendships were built around those idiosyncrasies.
That’s true, and those friendships also probably reduced conflict as well—much harder to take a very negative view of someone you know well socially.
That’s true, and those friendships also probably reduced conflict as well—much harder to take a very negative view of someone you know well socially.