Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

The Cosmetic Class

zandercutt.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

21–30 of 60 posts

Re: The Cosmetic Class

#21

Post by V-2 »

stealthmodeclan wrote: post #14
LandR wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The fuck? This is a joke right? I would have thought development would be the one sector unaffected by look / image etc. Unless you're interviewing for some hipster startup.

> This is a joke right? I would have thought development would be the one sector unaffected by look / image etc. I know this guy who used to screen models at a Hollywood studio. Now he works as a recruiter in a tech company (he met a VP at stripclub who got him in), what do you think he does? They are still same people! They look for same signals. They give it weird names like vibes / cultural fit or whatever.

They are still same people no doubt. It's quite typical for your IT recruiter to have screened Hollywood models back in the day.

Re: The Cosmetic Class

#22

Post by V-2 »

grive wrote: post #19

I really, really dislike this kind of medium-to-long form article that don't bother to even expose some sort of context (topic introductory line). This is incredibly disrespectful to the reader. You read the first half trying to put the pieces together, while given that this is a proto-longform article (does not have the length, but has the tone), there is fluff added here and there for flavor. This is so frustrating…

"I am 23 as I write this". I can't say I'm surprised, and the author is clearly of the "I love the sound of my own voice" type. That's how the piece reads at least. Narcissism isn't only about looks.

Re: The Cosmetic Class

#23

Post by hypnotist »

> Its business, after all, is driven by engagement, and because engagement is well-understood to be eroded by the presence of nuance and depth — two traits that are essential for a complete understanding of anything — Instagram promotes neither.

This must be the best description of fb/insta mechanics.

Re: The Cosmetic Class

#25

Post by Ensorceled »

There are several comments complaining about the lack of an introduction or topic sentence. Maybe it’s me, but I knew what ride I was on from the large clear title and subtitle:

“The Cosmetic Class”

“What happens when a society with a penchant for the cosmetic meets a medium dominated by it?”

Re: The Cosmetic Class

#26

Post by freetime2 »

peteretep wrote: post #24
kevin_thibedeau wrote: post #2

One could just live in the real world where you don't know or care what a finsta is.

> One could just line in the real world where you don't know or care what the "web" is Here, I rewound the comment 25 years for you.

I think saying that "finstas" are as important to society as the "web" is a false equivalence. As evidence I would point to the fact that "finstas" are in fact just a very tiny subset of the web.

Re: The Cosmetic Class

#27

Post by jhoh »

freeone3000 wrote: post #8
_bxg1 wrote: post #4

Sometimes I think the deepest, most absurdist corners of the internet are its last bastion of humanity. Where the memes are fueled by people's desire to be so incredibly nonsensical and inscrutable as to defy marketability. Of course, if you look at recent trends in corporate Twitter accounts you can see companies doing their very best to appropriate even that.

How many levels of irony are you on, my dude?

E

Re: The Cosmetic Class

#28

Post by freetime2 »

V-2 wrote: post #22
grive wrote: post #19

I really, really dislike this kind of medium-to-long form article that don't bother to even expose some sort of context (topic introductory line). This is incredibly disrespectful to the reader. You read the first half trying to put the pieces together, while given that this is a proto-longform article (does not have the length, but has the tone), there is fluff added here and there for flavor. This is so frustrating…

"I am 23 as I write this" . I can't say I'm surprised, and the author is clearly of the "I love the sound of my own voice" type. That's how the piece reads at least. Narcissism isn't only about looks.

My first thought when reading your comment was “wow that’s more sharply critical than the author deserves”.

But on second thought it is a bit ironic that a piece so critical of “signaling” and empty gestures (the author cites things like joining student counsel) would be posted to the author’s personal blog. I think it would have leant credibility to the article if the author had the self awareness to point out the fact that blogs are a form of self promotion not too far removed from Instagram.

Re: The Cosmetic Class

#29

Post by drchiu »

grive wrote: post #19

I really, really dislike this kind of medium-to-long form article that don't bother to even expose some sort of context (topic introductory line). This is incredibly disrespectful to the reader. You read the first half trying to put the pieces together, while given that this is a proto-longform article (does not have the length, but has the tone), there is fluff added here and there for flavor. This is so frustrating…

Stylistic preferences aside, a well written introductory paragraph can do a lot for essays like this.

Re: The Cosmetic Class

#30

Post by stochastic_monk »

V-2 wrote: post #22
grive wrote: post #19

I really, really dislike this kind of medium-to-long form article that don't bother to even expose some sort of context (topic introductory line). This is incredibly disrespectful to the reader. You read the first half trying to put the pieces together, while given that this is a proto-longform article (does not have the length, but has the tone), there is fluff added here and there for flavor. This is so frustrating…

"I am 23 as I write this" . I can't say I'm surprised, and the author is clearly of the "I love the sound of my own voice" type. That's how the piece reads at least. Narcissism isn't only about looks.

The lack of self-awareness gives the piece a rich irony which makes it interesting. Should this have been written for a subtle McSweeney’s submission, I would not be shocked.
Post reply on HN