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Politics is not about competence but defense of group interests. I'm never going to vote for someone competent (or smart) who goes against my interests. In fac
by pnako 6y ago
Politics is not about competence but defense of group interests.
I'm never going to vote for someone competent (or smart) who goes against my interests. In fact, that would make things even worse for me the smarter they are.
I think many people, particularly on the left I would say, forget this point. Which is why they can't explain Trump, Farage, Abbott, etc.
We're not voting for the Nobel prize; we're voting for the people who define policy and set our tax levels.
- doctor_eval 6y agoMy point had nothing to do with politics. This thread is about the need for a code of conduct. The post I'm replying to said they agreed with Peterson, who apparently says that "We are not built on a hierarchy of patriarchy, but a hierarchy of competence". The implication is that a code of conduct is not necessary for open source software because it is a meritocracy. I'm explicitly and directly refuting this position by using a recent example - out of millions of potential examples - from actual history. An honest look at the world suggests that it is built neither on a hierarchy of competence nor a hierarchy of patriarchy, but rather, a hierarchy of privilege. It just so happens that white men - myself among them - are the most privileged. A code of conduct is necessary and good for technical projects because it reduces the ability of one person's privilege and bigotry to be used to subvert another person's merit.
- pnako 6y agoWell, then we agree to some extent, because indeed politicians are not necessarily the most competent. FreeBSD being an international project I doubt any member really benefits from any particular kind of group majority "privilege" or benefit. From my observation, it seems to be way more meritocratic than the outside world.