Scott Alexander explains why the controversial Culture War thread was removed from r/slatestarcodex due to harassment, and discusses the challenges of hosting spaces for difficult conversations online. Longer summary

Scott Alexander explains why the Culture War thread on the r/slatestarcodex subreddit was shut down and moved to a new subreddit. He describes how the thread became a unique space for civil discussion of controversial topics, but also attracted harassment and threats against Scott personally. This led to a nervous breakdown and the decision to separate the thread from his blog. Scott uses this story to illustrate broader issues around hosting spaces for difficult conversations online, and the climate of fear and censorship that can result from harassment campaigns. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander proposes the principle 'be nice, at least until you can coordinate meanness' and applies it to ethical dilemmas and blog moderation. Longer summary

Scott Alexander discusses the concept of 'be nice, at least until you can coordinate meanness' as a principle for ethical behavior and community management. He argues that while being nice is generally a good heuristic, there are cases where meanness might be necessary. However, he emphasizes that coordinated meanness (e.g., through legal systems or widely agreed-upon social norms) is preferable to uncoordinated individual acts of meanness. The post explores the benefits of coordination in terms of predictability, stability, and reduced frequency of meanness. Scott applies this principle to his blog moderation policy, allowing discussion of ideas but prohibiting direct attacks or shaming of individual commenters. Shorter summary