It’s Schelling Points all the way down. Here are a few that have emerged pertaining to behavior of neoreactionaries:
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I Don’t be retarded—Do not do or say retarded things. If some question exists in your mind, as it rightly should, as to whether what you are about to do or say is retarded, err on the side of assuming it is.
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II Don’t dox or threaten to dox—Any history of doxing, even any hint of a doxing spirit, will only prove you are a liability.
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III Don’t materially attack each other in public—Be satisfied with private resolution or get out.
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IV Debate publicly; criticize privately—If you are unsure what you’re about to say publicly is legitimate debate, take it private or take it nowhere. It is practically impossible to unsay anything public.
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V Conduct yourself as a gentleman—This encapsulates most of the things on here, but it needs to be stated as a catch-all for violations not (yet) explicitly spelled out.
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VI Don’t talk to the press about Neoreaction—Interested media representatives should be directed to this single and coherent point of contact.
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VII Intentional self-involvement in trending stories is degenerate—It is an understandable temptation, but do not engage overly much in it.
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VIII Don’t sleep with or date current or former spouses or significant others of fellow neoreactionaries.
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IX Don’t publicly speculate on whether or not a public figure is reactionary—You may ask them privately. The mere existence of public speculation along these lines can harm present or potential allies. Put a sock in your curiosity if necessary.
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X Do not be degenerate in public. If you find yourself publicly defending degenerate behavior, you can be sure it is degenerate. Keep it private (or under an unrelated pseudonym). Everyone’s got vices. Admit you have vices. Don’t pretend they’re virtues. Live an exemplary life, even if that means you have to be a little bit hypocritical.
This is Official Neoreactionary Position (#OffNRxPos). It is totally non-ironic. It is also a work in progress. So questions and comments welcome…
I would start with 1 instead of 0 and use Roman numerals, but that’s just me.
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Exception to
Rule #7VIII: OK if the fellow is deceased and you are not responsible for it.LikeLike
Maybe I am a stickler, but I would prefer at list that is exclusively about NRx, like rule
No. 8IX. Some of the rules seems more like “common sense” rules, like ruleNo. 7VIII.LikeLike
Au contraire WoG; remember that a)any institution not explicitly rightist will become leftist, and b)”just common sense” is exactly the standard we are holding to. The decline of such in “civilization” is the reason we’re here.
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Arguably all the rules are common sense. That’s why they are Schelling points.
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Schelling points are focal points of agreement *when no communication is possible*, or each party’s “expectation of what the other expects him to expect to be expected to do”. Everyone involved in NRx is in constant radio contact; these are points of agreement, not Schelling points. Game theory has its uses, but not if you just abuse the concepts to seem smart.
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Harharkh, thanks for the clarification. No need to be snarky about it though. It’s not quite a simple agreement like you say. It’s an unenforceable apparent equilibrium. No one has power in this “game” to compel obedience, no one has power to make rules. Yes, we talk a lot, but no one can really compel unity at any one point of order, as order is still emerging within this particular game. Does game theory have a special name for that?
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To amplify
#5VI. Do not talk to the press, even on background, but if you are forced to, do it in writing. Reporters lie, cheat, dissemble, purr, and wangle. Their seduction works: you talk. You talk because you assume you’re talking to a human being, and when talking to a human being your natural inclination is trust.I fall into the camp of having to talk to them. I have a long series of documentation with their questions, my answers, and their printed stories. Never once was any reporter interested in any of my answers. They come to you knowing their own answers. All they want from you is ammunition. Which, if you are inexpert, you will provide them.
The minor way in which I fight back has been to publish openly all correspondence. This does nothing to dissuade the reporter—they are not on average very bright—but it does help the remnant.
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Great Code of Conduct. There is a typo in X: “Don’t pretend their virtues.”
[Ed. Corrected. Thanks!!]
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