6 ms·

My takeaway is both programmers and serial killers look like regular people (and have some unflattering photos). The bias that you can tell killers apart by wha

My takeaway is both programmers and serial killers look like regular people (and have some unflattering photos). The bias that you can tell killers apart by what they look like is created by the media, who probably choose sinister-looking photos when reporting on murderers.

layer8 6y ago
I think the bias is fundamentally human, it’s been a thing since ancient times: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Physiognomy https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Physiognomy
- Blikkentrekker 6y ago
  It goes far deeper than that. I remember a conversation with an i.r.c. user who claimed he “imagined” users to have a certain hair color based on little more information than their i.r.c. nickname. Until I pointed out to them that surely that cannot be accurate at all, especially given that he imagined two different hair colors of the same user under a different nickname on different networks, he also did not even quæstion the accuracy of this and simply silently assumed it to be accurate. It was really quite weird. He proffered an entire description of what he thought I would look like based on very little information which, needless to say, was mostly objectively quite false. The user with different nicknames went even further and at one point seemed to expect me to be able to correctly assume what so-called “race” he categorized himself as, without having seen so much as a picture. Given that this same user had prior expressed surprise about my so-called “race” when seeing a picture, thus having assumed it wrongly prior, this was especially odd.
Geminidog 6y ago
I got 8/10 which says otherwise. I voted serial killer for both women just because of how unlikely it is for a female to invent a programming language. If it wasn't for that I would be basically 90% correct. This means statistically that there likely is a difference. I can't put my finger on what it was though, I just knew. Basically anybody who looked insane must be an inventor of a programming language and anyone who looked normal must've not invented a language and therefore must be a killer.
- ummwhat 6y ago
  Women are also highly unlikely to be serial killers. I don't know which is more unlikely.
  - undefined1 6y ago
    Camille Paglia (feminist academic, professor) has written and lectured about why that is. She has a famous line: "There is no female Mozart because there is no female Jack the Ripper."
    - raunakdag 6y ago
      I really don’t understand this. Is she saying that women tend to be less bold, outgoing, risk-taking? I’m a bit confused.
      - undefined1 6y ago
        Basically that men tend to be more obsessive and more likely to occupy the extremes. Here's a lecture where she explains in more detail: https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=243&v=HrscwJYO8G8 https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=243&v=HrscwJYO8G8
    - Geminidog 6y ago
      People need to balance there weaknesses with strengths. Just because one demographic is weak at something doesn't mean they're strong in another. While intuitively I agree that what Camile Pagila says makes sense, there is no definitive evidence that was causes men to more likely be serial killers is what causes men to more likely be geniuses. Scientifically we still need to entertain the possibility that women aren't geniuses because of biology and this has nothing to do with the fact that they're unlikely to be serial killers. It might be true it might not be true, don't let ideology or pride in your own race/sex blind you from the truth. Case in point, white people are more likely to be serial killers than other races. You may automatically think a racial centered biological origin of serial killer behavior is absurd but again this is the irrational need for "balance" and equality that is throwing you off. There is no scientific evidence either way, it could be Caucasian in origin it could not be. Behaviorally we should be ideologically neutral for different demographics, but for observations of reality and discussing truth we should be scientifically neutral.
_the_inflator 6y ago
"The face of crime", face shape theory, originated around Lombroso: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cesare_Lombroso https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cesare_Lombroso
- stjohnswarts 6y ago
  right up there with phrenology.
Blikkentrekker 6y ago
I find that, ironically, a great deal of advice given to people on how to “be safe” is very counter-effective, for it inspires within them the mistaken confidence that they can easily recognize who is dangerous, and are thus more likely to drop their guard when such recognition yields a false negative. I also recently saw a comment on a forum along the lines of “If Hollywood started to consistently cast beautiful people as murderers, murder would become more socially acceptable.”; — it wouldn't surprise me.
- antihero 6y ago
  Well that's the issue, if we give people rules for people to follow when assessing the danger of a situation or someone's behaviour, then they are at a danger to anyone who can hack those rules and not set off the red flags. We have to teach people intuition, and to deeply question people's motives and what they have to gain versus what the person has to lose.
  - Blikkentrekker 6y ago
    One doesn't even have to deliberately hack them; acting as one naturally does will be sufficient. Most human beings do not naturally act as easily-identifiable Hollywood villains.
- cafard 6y ago
  When does Hollywood cast any but beautiful people in any role? Probably because a biography of Patricia Highsmith just came out, my first thought was of the movie The Talented Mr. Ripley. Matt Damon played Ripley.

layer8 6y ago

I think the bias is fundamentally human, it’s been a thing since ancient times: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Physiognomy https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Physiognomy

Blikkentrekker 6y ago
It goes far deeper than that. I remember a conversation with an i.r.c. user who claimed he “imagined” users to have a certain hair color based on little more information than their i.r.c. nickname. Until I pointed out to them that surely that cannot be accurate at all, especially given that he imagined two different hair colors of the same user under a different nickname on different networks, he also did not even quæstion the accuracy of this and simply silently assumed it to be accurate. It was really quite weird. He proffered an entire description of what he thought I would look like based on very little information which, needless to say, was mostly objectively quite false. The user with different nicknames went even further and at one point seemed to expect me to be able to correctly assume what so-called “race” he categorized himself as, without having seen so much as a picture. Given that this same user had prior expressed surprise about my so-called “race” when seeing a picture, thus having assumed it wrongly prior, this was especially odd.

Geminidog 6y ago

I got 8/10 which says otherwise. I voted serial killer for both women just because of how unlikely it is for a female to invent a programming language. If it wasn't for that I would be basically 90% correct. This means statistically that there likely is a difference. I can't put my finger on what it was though, I just knew. Basically anybody who looked insane must be an inventor of a programming language and anyone who looked normal must've not invented a language and therefore must be a killer.

ummwhat 6y ago
Women are also highly unlikely to be serial killers. I don't know which is more unlikely.
- undefined1 6y ago
  Camille Paglia (feminist academic, professor) has written and lectured about why that is. She has a famous line: "There is no female Mozart because there is no female Jack the Ripper."
  - raunakdag 6y ago
    I really don’t understand this. Is she saying that women tend to be less bold, outgoing, risk-taking? I’m a bit confused.
    - undefined1 6y ago
      Basically that men tend to be more obsessive and more likely to occupy the extremes. Here's a lecture where she explains in more detail: https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=243&v=HrscwJYO8G8 https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=243&v=HrscwJYO8G8
  - Geminidog 6y ago
    People need to balance there weaknesses with strengths. Just because one demographic is weak at something doesn't mean they're strong in another. While intuitively I agree that what Camile Pagila says makes sense, there is no definitive evidence that was causes men to more likely be serial killers is what causes men to more likely be geniuses. Scientifically we still need to entertain the possibility that women aren't geniuses because of biology and this has nothing to do with the fact that they're unlikely to be serial killers. It might be true it might not be true, don't let ideology or pride in your own race/sex blind you from the truth. Case in point, white people are more likely to be serial killers than other races. You may automatically think a racial centered biological origin of serial killer behavior is absurd but again this is the irrational need for "balance" and equality that is throwing you off. There is no scientific evidence either way, it could be Caucasian in origin it could not be. Behaviorally we should be ideologically neutral for different demographics, but for observations of reality and discussing truth we should be scientifically neutral.

_the_inflator 6y ago

"The face of crime", face shape theory, originated around Lombroso: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cesare_Lombroso https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cesare_Lombroso

stjohnswarts 6y ago
right up there with phrenology.

Blikkentrekker 6y ago

I find that, ironically, a great deal of advice given to people on how to “be safe” is very counter-effective, for it inspires within them the mistaken confidence that they can easily recognize who is dangerous, and are thus more likely to drop their guard when such recognition yields a false negative. I also recently saw a comment on a forum along the lines of “If Hollywood started to consistently cast beautiful people as murderers, murder would become more socially acceptable.”; — it wouldn't surprise me.

antihero 6y ago
Well that's the issue, if we give people rules for people to follow when assessing the danger of a situation or someone's behaviour, then they are at a danger to anyone who can hack those rules and not set off the red flags. We have to teach people intuition, and to deeply question people's motives and what they have to gain versus what the person has to lose.
- Blikkentrekker 6y ago
  One doesn't even have to deliberately hack them; acting as one naturally does will be sufficient. Most human beings do not naturally act as easily-identifiable Hollywood villains.
cafard 6y ago
When does Hollywood cast any but beautiful people in any role? Probably because a biography of Patricia Highsmith just came out, my first thought was of the movie The Talented Mr. Ripley. Matt Damon played Ripley.