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Jack Dorsey Is Gwyneth Paltrow for Silicon Valley

nytimes.com

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Re: Jack Dorsey Is Gwyneth Paltrow for Silicon Valley

#91

Post by davidw »

gojomo wrote: post #29
mieseratte wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'd had an engineer recently fracture his foot running in a race. He took a day off, went to a doctor and was told he need to wear a boot, stay off his foot for a while, etc. He proceeds to come into the office, proudly informing everyone how he knows better than the doctor, and that he only needs to rub peppermint oil and wear a compression sock. All while hobbling around the office, clearly in pain. Everyone pleade…

This sounds like a delusional person who happens to be an 'engineer', rather than someone who who is 1st & foremost, or archetypally, an engineer.

"I think we can build that in a week"

Re: Jack Dorsey Is Gwyneth Paltrow for Silicon Valley

#92

Post by gambler »

jonny_eh wrote: post #2

Shows that engineers in Silicon Valley aren't any more skeptical than Hollywood. We may consider ourselves smarter, but we're just as susceptible to bullshit as anyone.

Judging by HN comments, engineers in Silicon Valley seem to be the kind of people who need infinite amount of proof that meditation works, but readily believe in the Singularity. This is skepticism-as-a-brand, where your vocabulary and the sense of belonging to some intellectual elite outweigh all other considerations.

Selectively enforced skepticism is not real skepticism.

Re: Jack Dorsey Is Gwyneth Paltrow for Silicon Valley

#93

Post by Kalium »

komali2 wrote: post #61
wpietri wrote: post #8

This is really a perfect title. As somebody who grew up in Michigan not far from Battle Creek, I've always been interested the history of wacky self-improvement regimes. (You may remember "The Road to Wellville" as one look at that. [1]) E.g., the inventor of Graham flour believed in all sorts of self-harshness: "Graham created a theology and diet aimed at keeping individuals, families, and society pure and healthy -…

Ah, Battle Creek! Also where the Kellogg brothers got up to their weirdness. John Harvey Kellogg was involved in the weird dietary movements of the era as well. Ran a sort of spa / psych hospital thing, recommended people eat super plain food and chew each bite 45 times, that sort of thing. Tried to make "pre-digested" food which led eventually to Corn Flakes. Lots of weird health anecdotes out of there. Anything fro…

It's not a coincidence that Graham and Kelloggs were both doing weird dietary stuff in Battle Creek. The Seventh Day Adventist Church was - and to an extent still is - a major presence in Battle Creek. They place a great deal of emphasis on health in general and diet in particular. I believe all of those men were Adventists.

Re: Jack Dorsey Is Gwyneth Paltrow for Silicon Valley

#94

Post by elliekelly »

Jtsummers wrote: post #74
hammock wrote: post #51

Is Jack Dorsey really "tech's biggest manfluencer"? He didn't invent [ed: start a trend in pop culture] keto, cold showers, intermittent fasting, or meditation. There have been (modern, trend-driven) communities around each of these for 10+ years. And there are loads of people who ALL of these together, just like Jack. I wouldn't be surprised if Dorsey is only 2 degrees removed from Joe Rogan, for example. And in bet…

An influencer doesn't invent, they promote. They adopt (or appear to adopt) some item, practice, or philosophy and promote it to others (not necessarily explicitly, perhaps just by juxtaposing it with themselves or other artifacts).

> They adopt (or appear to adopt)

This is a really good point. I wonder how much of the nonsense extolled by Dorsey & Paltrow is something they've tried more than once, if at all.

Re: Jack Dorsey Is Gwyneth Paltrow for Silicon Valley

#96

Post by crsv »

I really did enjoy this framing of Jack Dorsey as a foil for Elon Musk (I mean I didn't think of this prior to the article, but it was an entertaining comparison). I think for the spectacle of it all, Elon really does need some sort of rival that's not the SEC, but a man with a face and a name and a personality and to paint it as Jack Dorsey is just wonderfully entertaining as an idea, despite being from a practical standpoint pretty irrelevant.

Re: Jack Dorsey Is Gwyneth Paltrow for Silicon Valley

#97

Post by [deleted] »

nimbius wrote: post #69

As someone with a firmly blue-collar perspective on the world, these weird sacred cows of the city that people elevate to the status of guru are as mysterious for me as they are asinine. I read up on Gwyneth Paltrow after reading the article, and checked her website where I found idiotic products that made my heart stop with some of their claims. When my heart finally started again I cursed god for letting me live to…

[deleted]

Re: Jack Dorsey Is Gwyneth Paltrow for Silicon Valley

#98

Post by rchaud »

pcbro141 wrote: post #38

Never understood the disdain for people for trying wacky sounding self-improvement techniques. Just like I wouldn't make fun of the 17% of Americans who take antidepressant pills to feel happier, I'm definitely not going to make fun of people fasting or using sauna to feel happy.

Antidepressants undergo clinical trials and are prescribed by medical professionals. There is no glamour or publicity in that at all.

The comparison would be closer if you were talking about IG fitness influencers selling 'fit tea' and 'all-day energy BBCAs'.

Re: Jack Dorsey Is Gwyneth Paltrow for Silicon Valley

#99

Post by duxup »

nacs wrote: post #47
duxup wrote: post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm not sure "because people ask him about it" is a very clear line here or means much. People might ask Paltrow too...

Yes they may ask her too but she has a personal financial stake in the products shes recommending/selling directly unlike Dorsey.

Ah I understand what you're saying now. That makes sense.

Re: Jack Dorsey Is Gwyneth Paltrow for Silicon Valley

#100

Post by rmason »

jchrisa wrote: post #84
nimbius wrote: post #69

As someone with a firmly blue-collar perspective on the world, these weird sacred cows of the city that people elevate to the status of guru are as mysterious for me as they are asinine. I read up on Gwyneth Paltrow after reading the article, and checked her website where I found idiotic products that made my heart stop with some of their claims. When my heart finally started again I cursed god for letting me live to…

What does "the city" have to do with anything?

Battle Creek, Michigan is to the cereal industry as Detroit is to cars. Both Post and Kellogg were started there. Cereal was originally pitched as health food, something that was good for you.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/lifestyles/travel/ct-trav-bat...

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