Hacker News new | ask | show | jobs
by nicoburns 2855 days ago
> Yes, the car you drive matters when you're playing at that level.

Do you really think that status conscious people are playing at a higher level than others? Personally I go out of my way to avoid people who poster for attention in these ways. And people who only seem interested in me because my way of life signals status to them for that matter.
1 comments
vinceguidry 2855 days ago
That's where your location comes into play. Different parts of a city have different vibes. The status signals still exist, but are different in your part.

Yesterday at lunch a guy walked past with an extremely 'regal' air. Literally the whole team turned and watched him walk, then we had a conversation about what he was representing, the consensus being that of a plantation gentleman. Seersucker suit, short tweed hat. And it was clean. He didn't look like a homeless person, he looked like he stepped out of a 1800s storybook.

That's status. Paying that much attention to the message you're sending through your actions and bearing. It's non-verbal communication that you absolutely can learn and master, you can even take classes in it, they're called acting classes.

It's what separates Emperor Norton from a random homeless guy.

link
lsc 2854 days ago
>It's what separates Emperor Norton from a random homeless guy.

This, I think, is the key to the whole thing, and the disconnect between you and many of the others here.

I mean, yes, if you are the sort of person who values appearances, then yes, status is very important. that's kind of the point.

If you are the sort of person who doesn't value appearances over abilities, the story of emperor Norton is just the story of people making fun of a mentally ill homeless guy.

Of course, most of us in real life are between those two extremes; but I'm more in the latter camp than the former, and it sounds like you are probably more in the former than the latter. It's two different ways of looking at the world and two different ways of choosing leaders.

link
wavefunction 2854 days ago
There were no plantation gentlemen, just slave owners
link