A couple of days ago, Catherine Low invited people to reach out to her if they are worried about EA.
I’d like to second that offer.
The last weeks have left me concerned about EA’s conflict and discourse culture, and I’d like to do my part in moving it towards a constructive direction. Whether by helping you put your murky frustration with the state of the movement into words, whether by helping you steelman the criticisms you have, or just by offering an open ear so that you feel less alone. Of course, all of that confidentially.
My credentials: I bring counseling and facilitation training. I know both the rationalist community and the social-justice-caring left from the inside (and accordingly as far as I can tell ~both sides of the current EA culture war). I have a graduate degree in putting fuzzy and complex ideas into writing (i.e. philosophy). I’ve recently written on the forum about social technologies that might help EA make it through all of this drama. And, first and foremost: I’m not employed by CEA, and somewhere between agnostic and doubtful about their current strategy. That may be relevant for those of you who are decisively unhappy with them.
So: If there’s something you feel uneasy about in regards to the EA community, and if you feel like I may be the right person to talk to about it, feel invited to book a call in my Calendly. Or, shoot me a message if nothing there fits.
Thank you so much for offering this - "counseling and facilitation training" and familiarity with "~both sides of the current EA culture war" seems like a very rare and valuable set of credentials.
Thanks, that's encouraging feedback!
Anyplace else you think I should advertise this? I already got the first booking. But given the mixed voting score, I don't expect this post to still be read by anyone 2-3 days from now.
Ok these strong down- and disagreement-votes are genuinely mysterious to me now.
The only interpretation that comes to mind is that somebody expects that something bad could come from this offer. I can't imagine anything bad coming from this offer, so I'd appreciate feedback. Both here where I can react, or in my admonymous is fine.
EA Peer Support group on Facebook?
(I don't understand the downvotes by the way 🤷 Maybe there's some broader context I'm missing.)
I think using the term 'woke left' will be counter-productive to your aim of reaching out to politically left people. While 'woke' started as a term used by the left, I now see it being used almost exclusively by the right as a pejorative term for the left, and most politically left people I know would be annoyed at being called 'woke'.
maybe 'social-justice-caring left' is a better term
Whoopsie, I'm insufficiently aware of the English language conventions there. Thanks, changed.