I believe the consensus is that /u/hawkdove85 is probably Scott Aaronson and he wants us to make fun of him, to prove some kind of point.
Go away, Scott Aaronson, you huge fuckin dork
It may very well be Scott (who can tell who anyone is in this age?), but I actually think he's probably too much of a coward to come here even in troll disguise (and I don't mean to use the word "coward" flippantly, but I can't think of any better characterization). It is more likely one of his sycophants, like the poster of "[Not the critic who counts](https://www.reddit.com/r/SneerClub/comments/7633el/not_the_critic_who_counts/)." That post, as I read it, evinces a kind of embarrassment exhibitionism that necessarily requires some sort of third party to authenticate the shame.
In my top comment here, I said "I like to *imagine*" that Aaronson had some more direct role in posting this link simply because I would have more respect for the man---if there were more to his response to criticism than melodramatic insecurity. But even if this were to be Aaronson himself, the chosen post makes almost no sense (unless it's literally a test to see if we don't read what we sneer at, and then I'm just disappointed that Aaronson can't even live with his own bad faith). I think I prefer the interpretation where this not his genius ploy.
I'm sorry if I gave off the wrong impression about who is our secret throwaway is---in a few ways, drafting it was an exercise in the art of sneering at ambiguous characters. I'm pretty sure our subreddit has earned the dignity of surveillance visits by the Scotts. But fundamentally, we occupy profane ground where no archnerd may walk.
I hadn't considered that they might be a troll, and on reflection, you and queerbees are correct, it seems likely. Leaving the above comment as-is, though, as a point of "what, did you think we'd just automatically sneer at anything that's too Extra-Advanced STEM For Brain Geniuses for our pitiful liberal arts brains?"
I like to imagine that we’ve received this cute little troll
gift (a sneer-unworthy post), because Aaronson’s ego has been bruised by
our neglect of his most recent sneer-baiting post: “30 of my favorite
books.” Yes, the list is packed with chuckle worthy entries,
ostensibly of confessional nature. But that’s not enough. There is a
significant omission that makes this post unworthy of a full-throated
sneer:
I’ll only include works because I actually read them and they had a
big impact on me at some point in my life—not because I feel abstractly
like they’re important or others should read them, or because I want to
be seen as the kind of person who recommends them.
As per Aaronson’s eminently sneer-worthycomment
171, December 14th, 2014:
I’ve read at least a dozen feminist books, of which my favorite was
Andrea Dworkin’s Intercourse (I like howls of anguish much more
than bureaucratic boilerplate, so in some sense, the more radical the
feminist, the better I can relate). I check Feministing, and even radfem
blogs like “I Blame the Patriarchy.” And yes, I’ve read many studies and
task force reports about gender bias, and about the “privilege” and
“entitlement” of the nerdy males that’s keeping women away from
science.
(Oh god, I am reminded how awful that comment is, even this little
snip… but onward to the point!) So, we may ask with an eye to the
reality Aaronson has constructed since that fateful winter comment: Why
is Mill’s 1869 The Subjugation of Women the only feminist title
listed? Aaronson is someone who likes to paint himself as someone who’s
tasted the best and the worst of modern feminism—but a 19th century
utilitarian tact on why the sexes ought have social and political
equality. That comment 171 evinces some sort of impact feminist and SJW
writing had on Aaronson’s young psyche, but all we get a paltry
“checking off” of a dude writing on women, a Black person, and Turing as
a double-dip for the queers? Honestly, this list is just a petty show of
garbage popular science and QC, that leads with naked virtue
signaling.
Scott, next time bring your A game or follow Mark Twain’s maxim: “If
you tell the truth you don’t have to remember anything.”
Gutei raised his finger whenever he was asked a question about Zen. A boy attendant began to imitate him in this way. When a visitor asked the boy what his master had preached about, the boy raised his finger.
Gutei heard about the boy's mischief, seized him and cut off his finger with a knife. As the boy screamed and ran out of the room, Gutei called to him. When the boy turned his head to Gutei, Gutei raised up his own finger. In that instant the boy was enlightened.
Off topic, but Zen koans have slowly started to make a weird sort of sense to me over the last couple of years.
I'm genuinely unsure whether that's a good sign or a bad one.
Err. This seems like a reasonable, reality-focused post about quantum computing? Maybe a little eager to say “I told you so!,” but who isn’t?
Cute. This post will remain up for the pleasure of Scott Aaronson and his gleeful inability to “resist mentioning that, over at SneerClub, they’ve now had their sneering crosshairs” on his writing, and also because I’m “lazy too.”
I like to imagine that we’ve received this cute little troll gift (a sneer-unworthy post), because Aaronson’s ego has been bruised by our neglect of his most recent sneer-baiting post: “30 of my favorite books.” Yes, the list is packed with chuckle worthy entries, ostensibly of confessional nature. But that’s not enough. There is a significant omission that makes this post unworthy of a full-throated sneer:
As per Aaronson’s eminently sneer-worthy comment 171, December 14th, 2014:
(Oh god, I am reminded how awful that comment is, even this little snip… but onward to the point!) So, we may ask with an eye to the reality Aaronson has constructed since that fateful winter comment: Why is Mill’s 1869 The Subjugation of Women the only feminist title listed? Aaronson is someone who likes to paint himself as someone who’s tasted the best and the worst of modern feminism—but a 19th century utilitarian tact on why the sexes ought have social and political equality. That comment 171 evinces some sort of impact feminist and SJW writing had on Aaronson’s young psyche, but all we get a paltry “checking off” of a dude writing on women, a Black person, and Turing as a double-dip for the queers? Honestly, this list is just a petty show of garbage popular science and QC, that leads with naked virtue signaling.
Scott, next time bring your A game or follow Mark Twain’s maxim: “If you tell the truth you don’t have to remember anything.”
/u/hawkdove85, try harder.
I don’t even have a problem with Scott Aaronson honestly.
Seriously, I just can’t believe how arrogant this guy is