https://thechange.wiki/index.php?action=history&feed=atom&title=Archive%3A000%2FTerm%3Ashit_show 2026-09-12T03:02:42Z Revision history for this page on the wiki MediaWiki 1.41.0 https://thechange.wiki/index.php?title=Archive:000/Term:shit_show&diff=2470&oldid=prev 2024-10-26T20:30:13Z

<p>Elie moved page <a href="/index.php?title=Term:shit_show&amp;action=edit&amp;redlink=1" class="new" title="Term:shit show (page does not exist)">Term:shit show</a> to <a href="/Archive:000/Term:shit_show" title="Archive:000/Term:shit show">Archive:000/Term:shit show</a> without leaving a redirect: Huge_refactor</p> <table style="background-color: #fff; color: #202122;" data-mw="interface"> <tr class="diff-title" lang="en"> <td colspan="1" style="background-color: #fff; color: #202122; text-align: center;">← Older revision</td> <td colspan="1" style="background-color: #fff; color: #202122; text-align: center;">Revision as of 16:30, 26 October 2024</td> </tr><tr><td colspan="2" class="diff-notice" lang="en"><div class="mw-diff-empty">(No difference)</div> </td></tr></table>

Elie https://thechange.wiki/index.php?title=Archive:000/Term:shit_show&diff=1575&oldid=prev 2023-09-30T22:34:15Z

<p>Created page with &quot;{{uc|Elie|I made this page to describe a phenomenon that I think is worth formalizing. The term &quot;shit show&quot; seems quite appropriate. ☺}} A &#039;&#039;&#039;shit show&#039;&#039;&#039; is any {{p2|problem complex|i.e. a set of 1 or more interconnected social problems}} in which the average human response to it will cause it to proliferate, i.e. be sustained or grow bigger. ==Selfish behaviors vs good intentions== A shit show can be categorized by the &#039;&#039;type&#039;&#039; of human responses it relies on...&quot;</p> <p><b>New page</b></p><div>{{uc|Elie|I made this page to describe a phenomenon that I think is worth formalizing. The term &quot;shit show&quot; seems quite appropriate. &amp;#x263a;}}<br /> <br /> A '''shit show''' is any {{p2|problem complex|i.e. a set of 1 or more interconnected social problems}} in which the average human response to it will cause it to proliferate, i.e. be sustained or grow bigger.<br /> <br /> ==Selfish behaviors vs good intentions==<br /> A shit show can be categorized by the ''type'' of human responses it relies on for proliferation.<br /> * A ''selfish shit show'' is one that feeds off of self-interested behaviors.<br /> * A ''good intentions shit show'' is one that feeds off of well-meaning but misguided attempts to solve the problem.<br /> ===Selfish shit shows===<br /> * The {{wikipedia|2020 toilet paper shortage}}<br /> * Any {{wikipedia|tragedy of the commons}}<br /> ===Good intentions shit shows===<br /> * [[War]], in some cases. {{en}}<br /> * Economics, in some cases. {{en}}<br /> * Software projects that become more and more unnecessarily complex, leading to [[code bloat]].<br /> <br /> ==Shit show coefficient==<br /> * A problem complex with a shit show coefficient '''less''' than 1 is '''not''' a shit show. It is a manageable problem that gets easier the more people work on it.<br /> * A problem complex with a shit show coefficient equal to or '''greater''' than 1 '''is''' a shit show.<br /> The coefficient is defined as a ratio:<br /> &lt;div style=&quot;display:inline-block;text-align:center;border:1px solid #000;padding:1em&quot;&gt;<br /> The magnitude of the problem complex '''after''' the next round of human responses to it&lt;hr&gt;<br /> The magnitude of the problem complex '''before''' such responses<br /> &lt;/div&gt;<br /> To define a shit show coefficient, one must first define a ''metric of magnitude'' of the problem complex, as well as defining an ''iteration'' (i.e. a round of human responses to the problem complex).<br /> {{pn|TODO: Add to this section: Some examples of how these could be defined for specific problem complexes.}}<br /> <br /> <br /> The shit show coefficient is analogous to:<br /> * [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basic_reproduction_number R&lt;sub&gt;0&lt;/sub&gt; (virology)]<br /> * [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_chain_reaction ''k'' factor (neutron multiplication factor) (nuclear reactor physics)]<br /> * In the study of [[forest fires]], a similar coefficient could be defined (if a tree were to catch on fire, how many trees would it set on fire on average). Dry dense forests would have a coefficient greater than 1, and a whole forest fire could easily start from just a simple campfire or lightning strike.<br /> <br /> A shit show can be understood as being similar to a virus that spreads via people's instinctive responses to it. It could also be classified as a {{wikipedia|meme}} (in the scientific sense, not an internet meme necessarily).<br /> <br /> ==In systems theory==<br /> If society for some reason tends towards a shit show coefficient of 1, it could be considered a complex system that undergoes {{wikipedia|self-organized criticality}}, and shit shows would exist on all scales (i.e. a statistical power-law distribution of sizes). There's probably some empirical evidence for this, but the real question is what we should do about it. {{rn}}<br /> <br /> ==Converting shit shows into manageable problems==<br /> {{empty}}</div>

Elie