These are good shapes, nice shapes.
March 15, 2022 1:20 PM Subscribe
Parable of the Polygons: A Playable Post on the Shape of Society These little cuties are 50% Triangles, 50% Squares, and 100% slightly shapist. But only slightly! In fact, every polygon prefers being in a diverse crowd. You can only move them if they're unhappy with their immediate neighborhood. They've got one, simple rule: “I wanna move if less than 1/3 of my neighbors are like me.” Harmless, right? Every polygon would be happy with a mixed neighborhood. Surely their small bias can't affect the larger shape society that much? Well...
Previously on Metafilter in 2014, as part of an aggregate post in 2016, and another aggregate post in 2017. (I thought it's been long enough since those discussions that this might be new to many.)
Previously on Metafilter in 2014, as part of an aggregate post in 2016, and another aggregate post in 2017. (I thought it's been long enough since those discussions that this might be new to many.)
Neat.
Not a dig on the idea, but I find it amusing that if you start with a random board and move the "ill move if less than X% of my neighbors are similar" slider all the way to 100, the segregation score plummets to zero and basically cant escape. It's like racist gravity or something.
posted by pwnguin at 2:10 PM on March 15, 2022 [1 favorite]
Not a dig on the idea, but I find it amusing that if you start with a random board and move the "ill move if less than X% of my neighbors are similar" slider all the way to 100, the segregation score plummets to zero and basically cant escape. It's like racist gravity or something.
posted by pwnguin at 2:10 PM on March 15, 2022 [1 favorite]
This is cute. The basic idea was popularized by Thomas Schelling in 1971 and popularly known as the "tipping point" account of segregation.
I like that the dynamics are "let your brain drag things around somewhat randomly," like a video game.
posted by grobstein at 2:20 PM on March 15, 2022 [2 favorites]
I like that the dynamics are "let your brain drag things around somewhat randomly," like a video game.
posted by grobstein at 2:20 PM on March 15, 2022 [2 favorites]
Great. Now Tennessee is going to ban geometric shapes. I hope you're happy!
(kidding aside, thanks for the awesome post! I'm going to play this with my kids.)
posted by hilberseimer at 2:27 PM on March 15, 2022 [6 favorites]
(kidding aside, thanks for the awesome post! I'm going to play this with my kids.)
posted by hilberseimer at 2:27 PM on March 15, 2022 [6 favorites]
This also says that it describes a harmful world, but doesn't talk about the harms caused by housing segregation. Segregation doesn't just harm poor folks and communities of color, but everyone.
Segregated communities, and this is for both white people and communities of color, as well as high skill/low skill class segregation, show decreased economic growth overall. This includes suburbs and cities.
So segregation doesn't just keep communities of color and people who perform lower-skilled jobs poor, it negatively impacts neighboring wealthy and middle-class communities.
Not just that, but, at least with kids, there's good evidence that kids with friendships with those of other racial and ethnic groups have reduced prejudice, and are more likely to feel safe at school. That's not even touching on the academic benefits.
posted by Chrysopoeia at 2:29 PM on March 15, 2022 [5 favorites]
Segregated communities, and this is for both white people and communities of color, as well as high skill/low skill class segregation, show decreased economic growth overall. This includes suburbs and cities.
So segregation doesn't just keep communities of color and people who perform lower-skilled jobs poor, it negatively impacts neighboring wealthy and middle-class communities.
Not just that, but, at least with kids, there's good evidence that kids with friendships with those of other racial and ethnic groups have reduced prejudice, and are more likely to feel safe at school. That's not even touching on the academic benefits.
posted by Chrysopoeia at 2:29 PM on March 15, 2022 [5 favorites]
(Feel the need to add what everyone probably knows, that, in real life, segregation has been accomplished not only by individualistic dynamics but by explicit coordination on the parts of homeowners, banks, local governments, the federal government, etc. And it has to do not only with same-race preferences but with monopolizing access to services and resources....)
posted by grobstein at 2:34 PM on March 15, 2022 [5 favorites]
posted by grobstein at 2:34 PM on March 15, 2022 [5 favorites]
Nice simulation toy, but I find the Moral Message a bit glib. That is, the theory works both ways: in that when some individuals decide they want to become just a little more diverse, that tiny bias will over time segregate these individuals from the population as a whole. The end result may be more diverse by some metric, but not necessarily more sociable on the whole.
posted by dmh at 3:27 PM on March 15, 2022 [2 favorites]
posted by dmh at 3:27 PM on March 15, 2022 [2 favorites]
if you start with a random board and move the "ill move if less than X% of my neighbors are similar" slider all the way to 100, the segregation score plummets to zero and basically cant escape.
It depends where you start from, too. If you click 'new board' after setting the slider at, say, 90%, it sets up a new board based on that 90% and can't resolve - this works all the way down to 70%. If you start a new board with the slider set at 0%, the same thing happens all the way up to 30%.
The varied boards further down the page start to change that, but it's a really powerful way of pointing out what we already know - the only path to change is to change thinking. That's really hard when so many are so deeply vested in their way of thinking and when so many that have the actual power to change things are financially dependent on things staying the same or getting worse.
posted by dg at 3:38 PM on March 15, 2022 [1 favorite]
It depends where you start from, too. If you click 'new board' after setting the slider at, say, 90%, it sets up a new board based on that 90% and can't resolve - this works all the way down to 70%. If you start a new board with the slider set at 0%, the same thing happens all the way up to 30%.
The varied boards further down the page start to change that, but it's a really powerful way of pointing out what we already know - the only path to change is to change thinking. That's really hard when so many are so deeply vested in their way of thinking and when so many that have the actual power to change things are financially dependent on things staying the same or getting worse.
posted by dg at 3:38 PM on March 15, 2022 [1 favorite]
I set it to “less than 76%” of my neighbours are like me, and it ended up as a stable equilibrium of between 29 and 35% segregated, and people moving all the time. Looked like a lovely melting pot! Was probably actually a horribleStressful environment for all my little racists, though.
It was also interesting, because some communities formed and stayed, they just had slightly porous edges.
posted by fizban at 3:52 PM on March 15, 2022
It was also interesting, because some communities formed and stayed, they just had slightly porous edges.
posted by fizban at 3:52 PM on March 15, 2022
Nicky Case has a moving writeup on his backstory.
posted by storybored at 5:06 PM on March 15, 2022 [7 favorites]
posted by storybored at 5:06 PM on March 15, 2022 [7 favorites]
My god. Was the Nicky Case link an FPP, storeybored? It feels like it should be it's own FPP.
(Also, since the comments have been all Nicky Case - yay Vi Hart too!)
posted by BlueBlueElectricBlue at 5:42 PM on March 15, 2022 [5 favorites]
(Also, since the comments have been all Nicky Case - yay Vi Hart too!)
posted by BlueBlueElectricBlue at 5:42 PM on March 15, 2022 [5 favorites]
That was an incredible read, storybored! Wowww. This bit made me yelp out loud:
> I tried reconnecting with my mom. I hoped she changed her views on homosexuality – and she did! She denied having ever been homophobic, she's always been the best supporter of gay rights, and boasts to the other parents about how open-minded she is to have raised such a brave child.
posted by MiraK at 5:57 PM on March 15, 2022 [2 favorites]
> I tried reconnecting with my mom. I hoped she changed her views on homosexuality – and she did! She denied having ever been homophobic, she's always been the best supporter of gay rights, and boasts to the other parents about how open-minded she is to have raised such a brave child.
posted by MiraK at 5:57 PM on March 15, 2022 [2 favorites]
>(Also, since the comments have been all Nicky Case - yay Vi Hart too!)
I don't know Nicky Case, but I heard the entire page in Vi Hart's voice, because I am familiar with a lot of her work, and the writing sounded very much like her style.
posted by mrgoldenbrown at 6:37 AM on March 16, 2022 [1 favorite]
I don't know Nicky Case, but I heard the entire page in Vi Hart's voice, because I am familiar with a lot of her work, and the writing sounded very much like her style.
posted by mrgoldenbrown at 6:37 AM on March 16, 2022 [1 favorite]
(Side note:
Nice simulation toy, but I find the Moral Message a bit glib. That is, the theory works both ways: in that when some individuals decide they want to become just a little more diverse, that tiny bias will over time segregate these individuals from the population as a whole. The end result may be more diverse by some metric, but not necessarily more sociable on the whole.
I find this comment a bit glib, myself. “Viewpoint diversity” isn’t a thing.)
(It’s been covered exhaustively in other Metafilter threads, but to elaborate less glibly: political affiliation for example isn’t an ingrained, unalterable trait that individuals have no control over like race or gender or sexual orientation or dis/ability. And yes, intolerance of, eg., Neo-Nazis will tend to segregate them out from the rest of society over time. Which will make it harder for them to gain new adherents and maintain themselves as a political tendency. This is a good thing that in an ideal world is structurally supported by our systems; just as it is good to have structural supports for teaching people democratic skills for working together with people (regardless of whether they are neighbours or live halfway around the world) who have different backgrounds and interests but agree on the basic value that everyone has equal value.)
posted by eviemath at 6:05 AM on March 17, 2022 [4 favorites]
Nice simulation toy, but I find the Moral Message a bit glib. That is, the theory works both ways: in that when some individuals decide they want to become just a little more diverse, that tiny bias will over time segregate these individuals from the population as a whole. The end result may be more diverse by some metric, but not necessarily more sociable on the whole.
I find this comment a bit glib, myself. “Viewpoint diversity” isn’t a thing.)
(It’s been covered exhaustively in other Metafilter threads, but to elaborate less glibly: political affiliation for example isn’t an ingrained, unalterable trait that individuals have no control over like race or gender or sexual orientation or dis/ability. And yes, intolerance of, eg., Neo-Nazis will tend to segregate them out from the rest of society over time. Which will make it harder for them to gain new adherents and maintain themselves as a political tendency. This is a good thing that in an ideal world is structurally supported by our systems; just as it is good to have structural supports for teaching people democratic skills for working together with people (regardless of whether they are neighbours or live halfway around the world) who have different backgrounds and interests but agree on the basic value that everyone has equal value.)
posted by eviemath at 6:05 AM on March 17, 2022 [4 favorites]
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I think Parable of the Polygons was the first of theirs that I came across, but they've done a *lot* of neat things.
posted by CrystalDave at 1:59 PM on March 15, 2022 [4 favorites]