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The Michael Scott Theory of Social Class

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Re: The Michael Scott Theory of Social Class

#31

Post by redisman »

6chars wrote: post #29

I don't think the author really understands the characterization of Michael Scott. I can't imagine the hypothetical scene of Michael Scott taking pride in knowing how to use chopsticks. That sounds way more out of character to me than having him not know how to use them. Hard for me to take the article seriously when it has to make up character traits for Michael Scott to make its point. I believe that the type of pe…

Right, Michael Scott would tell someone he of course knows how to use them and then end up in a Japanese restaurant with that person and be found out to be the fool once again.

Re: The Michael Scott Theory of Social Class

#32

Post by _2d30 »

I found myself mildly nodding along to this waiting for the moment of clarity where he describes more fully the elite ladder but he doesn't and so I have no idea how to contrast this middle tier with the upper tier to see distinctions. What's an example of the Elite behaviors/language? How would I know Powertalk when I see it? What would an Elite do/have to show their true status?

I definitely accept that I'm not an elite. I am "wealthy" in a strictly relative financial sense but I have no political power/connections derived from it and have never tried to gain any. This has always been my personal distinction between say myself and the true elites. Wealth doesn't inherently get you power and I don't really even know how I would leverage what wealth I have to gain power despite this being a potentially viable avenue. Is this not a much better distinction?

Re: The Michael Scott Theory of Social Class

#33

Post by blt »

PartiallyTyped wrote: post #10

While climbing the middle ladder, something snapped in me, or perhaps covid accelerated the process. A year or so ago, I was working on my undergraduate thesis project in deep RL, I had been working on the project for 8-9 months at the time. Due to covid, lack of support and computational resources from the university, I was behind, and making progress was difficult. Shortly after I submitted the thesis, I felt an ee…

Deep RL is a soul-sucking research field.

Re: The Michael Scott Theory of Social Class

#34

Post by nexthash »

This article and the theory it presents has some interesting intersections with how society actually works (i.e. the elite being anyone who has real leverage). I liked the depiction of the intellectual classes, but I believe that rather than hiding from reality they are commenting on it and influencing society's culture, not having to worry about material security.

Also, the categories/ladders are looser than one would assume. Cultural and labor leaders, if determined, can seize power for themselves, as seen with the rise of the Soviet Union and Islamic Republic of Iran. I personally don't believe in the "babytalk" notion: this depends on individual character, and any common lingo would be based solely on the pressures of position the individual is in.

Re: The Michael Scott Theory of Social Class

#37

Post by croissants »

6chars wrote: post #29

I don't think the author really understands the characterization of Michael Scott. I can't imagine the hypothetical scene of Michael Scott taking pride in knowing how to use chopsticks. That sounds way more out of character to me than having him not know how to use them. Hard for me to take the article seriously when it has to make up character traits for Michael Scott to make its point. I believe that the type of pe…

I agree, this bit in particular seems wrong to me:

> Posturetalk is everything said by Michael, Dwight and Andy, to anyone: the staff, the execs, or each other. Everything they say is some form or another of meaningless, performative babbling.

I only really remember the first four seasons of The Office, but I remember Michael as being a very skilled salesman and a very unskilled manager. But Michael's skill as a salesman comes from a genuine desire to connect with people and form relationships --- recall the episode where he takes a second job as a telemarketer and keeps deviating from the call scripts to ask people about their lives. In that sense, a big chunk of what Michael says is pretty close to the opposite of performative?

Re: The Michael Scott Theory of Social Class

#38

Post by z5h »

Interesting perspective. Without agreeing or disagreeing, I wonder where, on which ladder I’d want to be. Old Money is probably best, but, I don’t really have a choice. Seems Michael Scott is the next best option.

Re: The Michael Scott Theory of Social Class

#40

Post by paultopia »

ryan-duve wrote: post #2

This is a really well-written article. I am not sure if this spin on the cited references is novel but it is the first I am seeing any of it. I am jarred how well it describes the "middle" of society, including how many of my own behaviors/beliefs are captured. One thing I am having trouble with is the connection between Michael and the "educated" ladder, even though a big portion of the article is dedicated to that.…

Yeah, I really want to know where the author is getting their model of PhDs. Are we talking about literature departments or chemistry labs?
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