The Nonlinear Library EA - What should you do when you want to escape negative people of the community/subgroup you're in (but don't want to hamper your career)? by Polkashell
Apr 8, 2024
04:03
Welcome to The Nonlinear Library, where we use Text-to-Speech software to convert the best writing from the Rationalist and EA communities into audio. This is: What should you do when you want to escape negative people of the community/subgroup you're in (but don't want to hamper your career)?, published by Polkashell on April 8, 2024 on The Effective Altruism Forum.
I'm talking specifically of an EA group.
Anyone have experiences or thoughts on if their local EA group became super toxic and was full of people that they thought were super questionable? What do you do when for instance, that group has a few people who are working on the same things you are (I.e, same career area) and so you feel that if you chose to work on your career separate from this community (instead of forcing yourself within it) your career would be hampered in some way? (Eg having to interact with them, not work with each
other, same network where they might be community builders hosting events so you feel so unwelcome in those)
I've for a while now felt a couple groups (not all) I've been in EA can be quite toxic, especially certain individuals. So it feels right to stay far away and not work with them at all. But you're worried since the talent pool is quite small it would be negative to not join forces in someway.
I guess further, I've been feeling more disenthused with EA groups the past year, the group I was part of definitely had a lot of toxic community builders and members who said bad things, very red flag type things.
It scares me to feel this way because it feels like it leaves me more alone among people who should care about things I do but they would actually seem not to (not all of them) and I think I could hamper my impact and career because I would be alone. It has made me seriously consider quitting EA and even the area I'm working on now just to be away from them because it's impossible not to interact with them if not.
What advice does anyone have for me? Does anyone have similar experiences? How do you thrive in an EA career outside of EA when the network is so strong within EA? For instance if I want to work on X cause area but do not want to involve myself with EA specifically anymore, how can I be successful especially if the talent pool from where I'm from is quite small for that particular cause area? I keep thinking, if I distance myself from this pool then I might also distance myself from opportunity.
Some people I think who are not super directly "EA" but are doing good work are Jess Whittlestone, Jaime Yassif, etc. (correct me if I'm wrong)
Thoughts here? I'm really struggling with how I feel in this community and it's been really awful for my mental health. I feel like the community I was part of has been very unfair and yeah, toxic and if other people around the community I know not part of this group heard what they were doing or what they said they would think it were red flaggy.
I might been roundabout there but this is a raw post/Q.
I don't feel so comfortable talking to community health at the moment. I don't currently feel comfortable talking to the CH of my group too.
But to be open, some of these experiences revolve: 1) intentionally sabotaging specifically people in the community 2) spreading false information about people in the community 3) badmouthing people in the community unfairly 4) being questionable in their EA intentions 5) showing signs of strong arrogance (entitled to someone's life information, throwing some mini tantrums when they're not chosen for job, etc. there are more but I don't think I should disclose that).
If these people were to go around doing stuff would people recommend they be reported or flagged or not? Would people who might work with them want to know this stuff? It might look weird if I proactively told people this stuff, might make me a hypocrite. I'm not here to ruin people's careers or anything. But sometimes I feel very uneasy that I've just been quiet dealing with these pe...
I'm talking specifically of an EA group.
Anyone have experiences or thoughts on if their local EA group became super toxic and was full of people that they thought were super questionable? What do you do when for instance, that group has a few people who are working on the same things you are (I.e, same career area) and so you feel that if you chose to work on your career separate from this community (instead of forcing yourself within it) your career would be hampered in some way? (Eg having to interact with them, not work with each
other, same network where they might be community builders hosting events so you feel so unwelcome in those)
I've for a while now felt a couple groups (not all) I've been in EA can be quite toxic, especially certain individuals. So it feels right to stay far away and not work with them at all. But you're worried since the talent pool is quite small it would be negative to not join forces in someway.
I guess further, I've been feeling more disenthused with EA groups the past year, the group I was part of definitely had a lot of toxic community builders and members who said bad things, very red flag type things.
It scares me to feel this way because it feels like it leaves me more alone among people who should care about things I do but they would actually seem not to (not all of them) and I think I could hamper my impact and career because I would be alone. It has made me seriously consider quitting EA and even the area I'm working on now just to be away from them because it's impossible not to interact with them if not.
What advice does anyone have for me? Does anyone have similar experiences? How do you thrive in an EA career outside of EA when the network is so strong within EA? For instance if I want to work on X cause area but do not want to involve myself with EA specifically anymore, how can I be successful especially if the talent pool from where I'm from is quite small for that particular cause area? I keep thinking, if I distance myself from this pool then I might also distance myself from opportunity.
Some people I think who are not super directly "EA" but are doing good work are Jess Whittlestone, Jaime Yassif, etc. (correct me if I'm wrong)
Thoughts here? I'm really struggling with how I feel in this community and it's been really awful for my mental health. I feel like the community I was part of has been very unfair and yeah, toxic and if other people around the community I know not part of this group heard what they were doing or what they said they would think it were red flaggy.
I might been roundabout there but this is a raw post/Q.
I don't feel so comfortable talking to community health at the moment. I don't currently feel comfortable talking to the CH of my group too.
But to be open, some of these experiences revolve: 1) intentionally sabotaging specifically people in the community 2) spreading false information about people in the community 3) badmouthing people in the community unfairly 4) being questionable in their EA intentions 5) showing signs of strong arrogance (entitled to someone's life information, throwing some mini tantrums when they're not chosen for job, etc. there are more but I don't think I should disclose that).
If these people were to go around doing stuff would people recommend they be reported or flagged or not? Would people who might work with them want to know this stuff? It might look weird if I proactively told people this stuff, might make me a hypocrite. I'm not here to ruin people's careers or anything. But sometimes I feel very uneasy that I've just been quiet dealing with these pe...