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> Many people in the US are reluctant to have open borders because of racism. And most people tend to speak in forms where their statements can be technically

> Many people in the US are reluctant to have open borders because of racism. And most people tend to speak in forms where their statements can be technically correct yet misinformative, potentially missing out on the opportunity to improve upon the tendencies you point out. For example, if you were to convert "many" to a quantitative term such as "% of people in the US reluctant to have open borders because of racism" or "% of people in the US reluctant to have open borders, by reason (of which one is racism)", it would be much more difficult to be correct. I doubt you speak this way with malicious intent, but the unknown effects remain. And this is just one bug among thousands.

yboris 4y ago
I agree with your point about being precise with statements. I tried to be vague with words because I didn't look up any statistics for the statement I was making (especially that "racist" is an attitude that comes in degrees, and depending on definition we would have a different % of racist people in the US). No one doubts that racism in America has been a problem for centuries (look at how immigrants have been treated over the years). I was trying to make the generic point that besides the reasons people give against a policy, the actual reasons may be different than those voiced. I would not be surprised if of those opposing immigration, at least 50% hold different attitudes for non-white immigrants.
- mistermann 4y ago
  Ah ok, thanks for that. And so as to give some deeper insight into the motivation for my question: I often wonder....might the degree to which agents within a system communicate accurately (both in the sending and the receiving) have any substantial effect upon events and the evolving state within the system over time? Say, if we consider two planets: one whose inhabitants speak "highly" accurately, and one who inhabitants speak.....well, like we do here on planet Earth, circa 2022 (opinions are facts, fantasy is reality, etc - and everyone does it, despite fantasies to the contrary) - all other things being equal, might this cultural norm contribute to some of the issues on this planet that people complain about constantly? To be clear: I am asking in general, not as an attack on your comments here.

yboris 4y ago

I agree with your point about being precise with statements. I tried to be vague with words because I didn't look up any statistics for the statement I was making (especially that "racist" is an attitude that comes in degrees, and depending on definition we would have a different % of racist people in the US). No one doubts that racism in America has been a problem for centuries (look at how immigrants have been treated over the years). I was trying to make the generic point that besides the reasons people give against a policy, the actual reasons may be different than those voiced. I would not be surprised if of those opposing immigration, at least 50% hold different attitudes for non-white immigrants.

mistermann 4y ago
Ah ok, thanks for that. And so as to give some deeper insight into the motivation for my question: I often wonder....might the degree to which agents within a system communicate accurately (both in the sending and the receiving) have any substantial effect upon events and the evolving state within the system over time? Say, if we consider two planets: one whose inhabitants speak "highly" accurately, and one who inhabitants speak.....well, like we do here on planet Earth, circa 2022 (opinions are facts, fantasy is reality, etc - and everyone does it, despite fantasies to the contrary) - all other things being equal, might this cultural norm contribute to some of the issues on this planet that people complain about constantly? To be clear: I am asking in general, not as an attack on your comments here.