I like your post, especially the vibe of it.
At the same time, I have a hard time understanding what does "quit EA" even mean:
Stop saying you're EA? I guess that's fine.
Stop trying to improve the world using reason and evidence? Very sad. Probably read this post x50 and I hope it convinces you otherwise.
Contrapositive actually works better for me: I tend to like most of the EAs I get to interact with (virtually), but that's not enough to buy me completely on the value set and axioms of the community, beyond adjacency.
Like the stuff you write about in general, Kat Woods, this post speaks to me poignantly—worth coming back to after months, no doubt. It feels like some recognition for the number one issue that pulls me back from working with anyone I don't know on anything serious: misanthropy.
In a way, I've quit EA without realizing it, dreading and staying away from it more often than I perhaps have to, because I think of this community as a monolith that I do pretty much dislike. It's like those who've spoken kindly to and encouraged me, not to mention those good-natured people on my podcasts and blogs, aren't even part of that movement they devote their careers to.
Pleasant or otherwise, the only EAs I've ever interacted with are online avatars. I've stayed away from the forum for years because it's structured and sometimes converses like Reddit. It's hard to imagine that there are upvotes hidden in those unjustly negative vote counts, that there are people here who take issue with rudeness, as well, and may well be controlling an avatar here out of compromise, not agreeing with all the wickedness I ascribe to the monolith. Seeing some names here that I'm confident are good people is reason not to let bad apples spoil a bunch.
You put forth a good alternative, that this community is indeed made of individuals; and it's a tough pill to swallow, but possibly one which loads of good impact depends on. Maybe even some of those less likable ones would indeed be likable if I got to know them, I just hope they would be so to those they speak brashly towards. We're all here to achieve a common goal, first and foremost. 🍎
An all too common reason I’ve seen to “quit EA” is disliking aspects of the community. Maybe “they’re” too focused on the “wrong cause area” or are skeptical of yours. Maybe “they” annoy you. Maybe “they” publicly attacked you.
I’m putting quotation marks around “they” to highlight an important thing: EA is composed of individuals.
Some EAs may annoy you / focus on the "wrong cause area" / publicly attack you / [insert your reason here].
But you don’t have to hang out with them!
Imagine you decided you didn’t like science because you didn’t like some scientists. Or even most scientists!
That might affect the frequency you go to science conferences. But that shouldn’t affect your appreciation of science itself.
Yes, science is a community, but it’s also a practice, a goal, a method, an idea, results. EA is too.
Not to mention - you don’t have to interact with most scientists! Or EAs! You can just be picky.
I only interact with “most EAs” when I post on the EA Forum or the EA subreddit. Otherwise I’ve found my favorite EAs and hangout with them regularly. I treat them as individuals, not as members of a group. I don’t think “I find the majority of this group annoying, therefore, I will leave the entire group.”
I can imagine stopping posting on the EA Forum because of this. I can imagine stopping going to certain local groups where you dislike a majority of the people that usually attend. These are all rational reactions.
But don’t “quit EA” because you dislike many or even more EAs. Just be picky about who you hangout with.
I will add onto this: EA has (and individual EAs have) a vast difference in threshold between "approve of" and "support". EAs tend to not support a lot of things they approve of, because the resource pool for support is extremely limited.
This can sometimes be difficult to navigate relationally, if you are used to equating the concepts. Do not take a lack of support as indicative of a lack of approval. EAs (probably) approve of you doing good things for the world.