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4 posts found
Oct 20, 2013
ssc
252 min 35,224 words 810 comments
This post systematically rebuts common Reactionary political beliefs on topics like societal decline, traditional governance, progress, and social issues through data analysis and historical examples. Longer summary
This post is an extensive rebuttal to common beliefs held by the Reactionary political movement. It systematically addresses and counters Reactionary claims about societal decline, traditional monarchies, the origins and nature of progress, corporate governance models, and modern views on race and gender. The author analyzes data and historical examples to argue against Reactionary positions, while acknowledging some valid critiques and interesting ideas within the movement. The post ends by listing various rebuttals and responses to the FAQ itself from Reactionary bloggers. Shorter summary
Sep 21, 2013
ssc
5 min 674 words 50 comments
Scott analyzes DW-NOMINATE data which unexpectedly shows no leftward drift in US politics over 120 years, despite historical evidence suggesting otherwise. Longer summary
Scott Alexander examines the claim that society is drifting to the Left by looking at DW-NOMINATE, a statistical system that analyzes legislators' voting patterns over time. The system shows that while Congress has become more polarized and Republicans have shifted right since 1980, there has been no significant liberal drift in either party over the past 120 years. This result contradicts the expected leftward shift given historical developments like the expansion of the welfare state and civil rights movement. Scott finds this counterintuitive and struggles to explain it, noting that the system is well-regarded and its developers defend its use for intertemporal comparisons. Shorter summary
Apr 20, 2013
ssc
18 min 2,509 words 93 comments
Scott presents evidence for the reality and high economic costs of racial and gender discrimination, arguing that fighting prejudice is important and potentially effective. Longer summary
This post argues against Reactionary politics by defending the importance of fighting racism and sexism. It presents evidence from controlled experiments showing significant discrimination against minorities in job hiring, housing, and other areas. The post then estimates the economic costs of discrimination in the US to be at least $438 billion per year, comparable to the costs of major diseases. It concludes that even small successes in reducing racism and sexism could have large economic benefits, and that while many social justice efforts may be ineffective, there is potential for evidence-based approaches to make meaningful progress. Shorter summary
Mar 08, 2013
ssc
9 min 1,208 words 52 comments
Scott Alexander compares Singapore to Hong Kong, Macau, and Sweden using various socioeconomic indicators to challenge the claim that Singapore's success is due to its Reactionary policies. Longer summary
Scott Alexander examines the claim that Singapore's success is due to its Reactionary policies. He compares Singapore to Hong Kong, a similar city-state without Reactionary policies, and also includes Macau and Sweden in the analysis. Using various socioeconomic indicators, he finds that while Singapore performs well, it doesn't significantly outperform Hong Kong or Sweden. Scott concludes that the success of Singapore and Hong Kong is likely due to their shared characteristics (Chinese population, British influence, laissez-faire capitalism) rather than Singapore's Reactionary policies. Shorter summary