I think ESR is an idiot for a lot of reasons, but to be honest you're taking that quote a little out of context. The whole point of that blog post was to show

I think ESR is an idiot for a lot of reasons, but to be honest you're taking that quote a little out of context. The whole point of that blog post was to show his superior rationality and analytical introspective prowess--despite the “irrational” feelings he describes in the quoted paragraph, he was able to reason his way through all that and his neocortex and non-bigotry came victorious. Or so he claims. One a certain level I agree with what he writes in that post in the sense that we shouldn't let certain mental reflexes, which are no fault of ours, overpower our reason, compassion, whatever... But on the other hand, I have to agree with you at least in part, because that paragraph is just messed up (it's the exact part that startled me when I read the post[0] a few months ago). Without it, that post would be one of the rare reasonable things he wrote lately. It left a bad taste in my mouth not knowing what to think really. Although, he has gone on verbal racist sprees before, without much analysing own visceral processes. [0] http://esr.ibiblio.org/?p=5001 http://esr.ibiblio.org/?p=5001 EDIT: Oh, and just to add: he self appointed himself as a speaker for hacker culture. I don't think anyone has taken that seriously. Who cares what one person with delusions of grandeur thinks?