Diplomacy and Political Correctness in the MIT AI Lab

Massachusetts Institute of Technology AI Lab - Bounced ^ | 13 Sep 01 | Self

[a_witness]

The AI Lab of MIT hosts an online version of Diplomacy, a well-known strategy game. Bounced, created by Christian Shelton, is of dubious educational value but nonetheless an occasional diversion for the arm-chair diplomat and erstwhile general.

Christian has done a wonderful job of providing this diversion to the general public. I made the mistake however of assuming that since this website was at an American University that most of the guests would be American or at least not hostile toward Americans. I was summarily dumped from one of the games because I made comments in support of America in view of events of the last two days. It seems foreign nationals have received some degree of administrative authority over portions of the website. One such fellow who calls himself "Taxguy81" and also goes by Jerry, threatened to remove me if I discussed politics by which he meant anything approaching the reality of our pain, grief, anger, and plans to destroy our Islamic enemies. It seems some of the foreign nationals, of whom he could possibly be one, were offended by my pro-American comments.

Needless to say, it galls me to no end that foreign nationals have the power to remove me from a public forum on an American University, but there you have it.

I sent off a note of protest to the Rodney A. Brooks, director of the AI Lab, but don't have much hope of affirmative action on the matter.

At any rate, it serves me right for being a poor diplomat and an emotional American during these days of terror but I must confess I am very angry, righteously angry at our enemies who spit in our face and murder our citizens.

[John H K]

Why do I have the sneaking suspicion your "Pro-American" comments were along the lines of "Nuke all the Ragheads!" and whatnot?

[John Hines]

the most famous invention of the ai lab's most famous alumnus is the GNU "copyleft" (his term, not mine).

the lab people are so far left that they have almost become far right libertarians. don't expect much

[Lazamataz]

Why do I have the sneaking suspicion your "Pro-American" comments were along the lines of "Nuke all the Ragheads!" and whatnot?

Okay, I will revise it: Irradiate all the SandChimps.

[ctonious]

As an MIT undergraduate 20-odd years ago, me and most of us were all in frats thinking about the next beer bash and how Wellesley girls were a buncha bitches and Simmons girls were great, and so on. But not the graduate students. A hell of a LOT of them were middle eastern, very serious, and boy did they hate the US, the CIA and Israel. I had long discussions with a Lebanese grad student since we were pretty much chained together during a long wind tunnel experiment stretching over weeks.

We got along although we totally disagreed on politics. But what I definitely came away with was the distinct feeling that he and a lot of the other middle eastern grad students were learning all they could and biding their time, and that one day all this technology we were providing to them via our schools was going to come right back at us.

[Liberty_Or_Die]

I agree completely with your idea that the Rag Heads are using technology gained from our Universities against us. We are at WAR. The President should write an executive order that sends all arab non citizens home NOW! And they are not invited back...EVER.

[Teacher317]

There are several Diplomacy players on FR. Great game. It's basically RISK without the dice, and you have to convince other to help you out.

Most online Diplomacy games are run by electronic "judges" that figure out the results of every turn, and a human Game Master who takes care of any problems. Online games usually wind up having players from around the world.

Now for the pertinent part of my post... every judge and Game Master that belongs to the Diplomatic Pouch has suspended or delayed their games, in light of Black Tuesday. Most of the games I am playing in have taken time to either ask the American players for their thoughts and the latest news, or to share their feelings of outrage at the heinous acts (despite the fact that the games are usually adamant about not sharing personal thoughts, as that could lead to revealing secrets in the games). All have been open, polite, supportive, and generous with their thoughtful words. All have put the games away, and have prioritized things properly. None have dared to criticize or poured salt in our open wounds.

[Tymesup]

We also taught nuclear engineering to Iranians back then. Tick, tick, tick.

You guys in the frats had a better time than those of us in the dorms, apparently.

[EdZep]

Why do I have the sneaking suspicion your "Pro-American" comments were along the lines of "Nuke all the Ragheads!" and whatnot?

I've read many posts by a_witness over the years. (I remember the name because I've often found the poster's perspectives irritating.) I have never seen any comments that would support your "sneaking suspicion."

[a_witness]

Why do I have the sneaking suspicion your "Pro-American" comments were along the lines of "Nuke all the Ragheads!" and whatnot? Since it is not from any previous experience with me I can only speculate that it is either similar to something you yourself would write or those with whom you converse.

I won't burden you with comments directly related to the game in question but these are the comments that resulted in Jerry (taxguy81) removing me. My comments were made in the immediate aftermath of the evil attack against my country (I am close to some of the targets) with the grief, shock, and righteous indignation that is now my right as an American. I don't particularly care too much how foreign nationals feel about it right now unless they are our allies (in which case I welcome them) or our enemies (in which case I want to destroy them). I don't think there is any neutral ground after September 11, 2001.
1. I'm not sure how to proceed. How does one deal with terroristim ?
2. Personally, I think every user of this site should have to prove his or her identity with a credit card or even passport. I don't like the idea of just any foreign nationals having any access to the MIT lab after yesterday.
3. Someone, perhaps a foreign national, accused me of being Xenophobic and misinterpreted my remarks to be "no foreign nationals on American computers." No foreign nationals on American computers? No unknown or unauthorized foreign nationals on American computers. The world has changed.
4. I welcome the NATO invocation of Article V. I also welcome Russian support to totally crush the Islamic terrorist movement and all its sponsors.
5. xen·o·phobe (zn-fb, zn-) n. A person unduly fearful or contemptuous of that which is foreign, especially of strangers or foreign peoples. Americans have no illusions about those who spit in our faces and murder our citizens. It is not an undue fear we have, but you might call it a resolute determination to annihilate the enemy but not Xenophobia. We need to apply more stringent security on unknown foreign nationals who access resources that can harm us and we can do this in concert with trusted foreign allies.
6. I could care less about your strategies, machinations, and diplomacy here. I'm simply wrapping up loose ends in the middle of grief and anger. I should remember that you may not realize how angry America is right now. We may go nuclear.
7. There were several complaints and taunts from foreign nationals. The GM joined them in condemning me and warned me to be completely silent over the matter. I asked him to take no further action while I wrote to the MIT AI Lab director.
8. I will not respond to you anymore. I will move it higher up at MIT.
9. taxguy81 wrote: [...] has been warned regarding the use of the board as a political forum. My apologies to those he has riled up. I have asked [...] to refrain from further use of the board in this matter. If he choses to use the board he will be replaced. Many of us have been hit abruptly with losses from this disaster. Messages with condolences are appropriate at this time - this will go down as a day in America with the most casualties on American soil since Antietam in 1862 during the Civil War. Taking out frustrations or plotting U.S. military strategy is not appropriate.
10. taxguy81 wrote: [...] has decided to take the matter "upstairs". Inasmuch as I find situations like this unlikely to have a favorable resolution I have decided to end the matter and replace [...]. Should Christian not support my actions I will take the heat at that point.

[a_witness]

They do well to make allowances for our grief. Sometimes the real world intrudes on the silly rules of board games. I welcome those who are our friends.