Rowing Against the Waves

College campuses popularized safe spaces, the alpha

Safe spaces are designed to create environments where people can be comfortable to be themselves, and to normalize rules of conduct that help them feel "safe".

Although often decried as a leftist thing, this is propaganda. Churches, mosques, temples, left wing college campuses, and shooting ranges all have a median set of beliefs that are normalized.

To be in one of those environments and not share the common beliefs is uncomfortable. Discomfort is a part of life, but it shouldn't be constant.

Rough harbors brings you safe spaces, the beta

Rough Harbors members get a boat of 8 and a Navigator to help them dive into what matters to them in the way they want.

Each 8 sets its own values and rules for discussion. A boat can choose to ban beliefs, words, types of criticisms, etc. Rough Harbors prohibits conduct that is illegal or constitutes personal attacks that have no connection to the topic of the harbor at all.

But an 8 can choose to allow criticism for not being sufficiently vegan, not loving Jesus enough, or not supporting fireworks enough. No one is forced to stay in an 8 — if you don't like it, you can leave, and we'll find you another one.

Rough Harbors doesn't condone or support any given belief system. We have an ideological commitment to enabling people to connect in the ways that matter to them, consistent with US law and our members not hating us so much they stop paying us money to stay.

Law schools popularized safe harbors, the alpha

If we had a dollar for every law school gunner who asked a question that didn't matter, we would give small but meaningful bonuses to our navigation staff.

Safe harbors are obviously useful. If people feel like they can't say the thing that is not popular, it will not be said.

How would we know if anything was popular? More importantly, how good would we be knowing if a popular idea was good?

Rough harbors brings you safe harbors, the beta

Safe harbors are not safe spaces. This is inherent to what it means to be open to free-form and wide ranging ideas.

It would be convenient if we could produce the optimal system to learn, grow, and promote the success of our members without costing them anything in return.

It is not that convenient. But probably better. Safe harbors are out of fashion. People, on both sides of the aisle and from all walks of life, prefer safe waters to safe harbors.

People don't want to rock the boat. But ideas are dangerous. You can't let them thrive without allowing for rough harbors.

Rough Harbors actively moderates the Harbor. An 8 can set their own rules. A harbor lives by ours. We will not pretend this is a democracy.

Honesty is a competitive advantage for us. We are producing a community that values challenge and sharp wits. That prefers conscience over compromise, and colleagues over chameleons.

You get an 8! And you get an 8! And you all get a harbor!

We split the difference by literally splitting them in two components.

Growth needs safe spaces, where you can express the ideology that you know smart colleagues couldn't care less for.

And growth needs safe harbors, where you know you have a chance to learn the places where the implementations and designs you have planned can be improved.

Most people don't have both. That's why we made Rough Harbors. Hey.