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Be wary of imitating high-status people who can afford to countersignal

robkhenderson.substack.com

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Re: Be wary of imitating high-status people who can afford to countersignal

#571

Post by jakear »

fomine3 wrote: post #526
jakear wrote: post #372

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Way more. Land Cruisers can last 40+ easily. Do a craigslist search and you’ll find them in fully working condition. I don’t think the so-called “safety features” developed in the next 20 years are as valuable as the others predict. We’re already very safe in cars, especially massive modern ones like the cruiser. If you’re driving fast/reckless enough to get killed in one today more safety features aren’t what you ne…

It's valuable for pedestrian.

I don’t think many people are scrapping their cars for the safety of pedestrians. Also, personal accountability. If you’re going too fast/distracted to react in an area with the potential for pedestrian interference, that’s a you problem, not your car’s.

People need to be more mindful of the fact they’re operating multi-ton death machines, not sit back behind increasing layers of technology and text their buddy while driving because they know their “safety features” will protect them.

This is partially why I disabled my airbags - pedestrians don’t have them, why should I? Gives me more skin in the game.

Re: Be wary of imitating high-status people who can afford to countersignal

#572

Post by yarg »

gus_massa wrote: post #56

> If a chimpanzee views a person perform a series of superfluous actions, along with one single necessary action, in order to obtain a piece of food, the chimpanzee will skip the superfluous action, and perform only the necessary one. > In contrast, children will copy every single action, including the unnecessary ones. I watched the video, but I'm unconvinced. They tell the kid the box is " magic ". Children know th…

Anecdotally, some human kids don't like being tested and will deliberately fuck with a researcher.

(I don't remember this, my mother was hidden behind a one way mirror.)

I had some pretty severe co-ordination issues as a child, no learning related problems - but fuck knows who decided that I needed to be evaluated on both fronts.

Anyway this woman comes in to test me with one of those boxes with different shaped holes in the top, and a matching block for each hole.

I grab a random block and try to shove it in a hole into which it obviously does not fit - and keep trying with the same hole until the woman gets up and leaves in frustration (she'd been trying to hint that I should perhaps try another hole).

The moment she left I quickly solved the puzzle.

Re: Be wary of imitating high-status people who can afford to countersignal

#573

Post by pyuser583 »

steveBK123 wrote: post #47

"An example from Ogilvy Vice Chairman Rory Sutherland: If you’re a top executive, turning up to work on a bicycle is a high-status activity because it was a choice and not a necessity. But if you work at Pizza Hut, turning up on a bike means you can’t afford a car." This tidbit reminds me of a similar anecdote (that my experience aligns with) re: the modern upper class that wearing a $2k Rolex or driving a $70k BMW i…

There is currently an insane market for high end wrist watches. Not the 2k Rolexes, I mean the 200k Phillip Patels.

There’s even a hot market for historical wristwatches. 2 million for a watch that would have been $100,000 10 years ago is not unheard of.

Re: Be wary of imitating high-status people who can afford to countersignal

#575

Post by executesorder66 »

steveBK123 wrote: post #323
mlyle wrote: post #289

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> It just showed the lack of understanding on marginal utility on commodity items. I think you're showing the lack of understanding of marginal utility. By the time you're spending $45k on doorknobs, $400 on socks might offer equal marginal utility per dollar.

I think a lot of what this thread shows is that everyone has a different utility function. That's kind of whats interesting about the modern economy is we can all express our preferences in how we spend. The bottom end has gotten much cheaper and the top end has gotten exponentially more expensive, and in many markets the middle has sort of disappeared. This contrasts a lot with the 1950s boom era where there was a b…

> The bottom end has gotten much cheaper and the top end has gotten exponentially more expensive, and in many markets the middle has sort of disappeared.

This enrages me so much. I hate cheap crap, but I equally hate over the top, necessary, expensive crap.

I prefer something well made, with minimal functions, for a middle price. But finding this is becoming increasingly rare as time goes on.

Re: Be wary of imitating high-status people who can afford to countersignal

#576

Post by sprkwd »

tptacek wrote: post #552
rayiner wrote: post #536

Earlier quoted context omitted.

But the point is everyone looks like they’re trying to conform to the dress code. Much better than America, where just when you think it’s hit bottom, people plumb the depths further. (Most recently, by way of hair, tattoos, earrings on men, etc.)

I have rings in both my ears and sleeve tattoos on both arms. What does that say about me?

Means you have spent a lot of money on pain.

Re: Be wary of imitating high-status people who can afford to countersignal

#577

Post by tptacek »

sprkwd wrote: post #576
tptacek wrote: post #552

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I have rings in both my ears and sleeve tattoos on both arms. What does that say about me?

Means you have spent a lot of money on pain.

That and the dog from "Duck Hunt".

Re: Be wary of imitating high-status people who can afford to countersignal

#578

Post by selfhoster11 »

sangnoir wrote: post #257
osigurdson wrote: post #159

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Right. Wow, look at me, I now have a cushy (soul crushing) job at the city just like my slightly wealthier neighbour. All life goals checked off now.

I knew you were someone who could afford to "ignore" social cues. I used to think the tech-type was not like that until I observed some common threads, at lest in the Bay Area (driving an EV or planning to buy one - likely a Tesla, Patagonia vests, loves to hike, has an Apple watch)

I work in DevOps and check off literally none of the items you listed. I still get paid relatively well, and I don’t signal unless it’s required to maintain my job. I’m happy enough.

Re: Be wary of imitating high-status people who can afford to countersignal

#579

Post by ChrisMarshallNY »

astrange wrote: post #532
ChrisMarshallNY wrote: post #283

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> his consistent grey t-shirt and jeans I’m pretty sure they were talking about that consistency. The story that I have heard, is that Jobs wore the same thing, every day, so his mind wouldn’t be “bogged down,” with minutia, like what to wear. I think some folks also have superstitions about dress.

Steve wore the same thing every day because that’s what Japanese workers at Sony did at the time. It was common for Japanese engineers to wear uniforms just like factory workers do. You can look up pictures from Nintendo where they’re wearing jumpsuits designing Mario.

They did, at my company. They finally made it non-compulsory (for men), about fifteen years ago, but many folks kept wearing them, anyway.

The uniforms were kind of special. They wouldn’t let us yanks, buy them.

Re: Be wary of imitating high-status people who can afford to countersignal

#580

Post by thiht »

DyslexicAtheist wrote: post #378
steveBK123 wrote: post #47

"An example from Ogilvy Vice Chairman Rory Sutherland: If you’re a top executive, turning up to work on a bicycle is a high-status activity because it was a choice and not a necessity. But if you work at Pizza Hut, turning up on a bike means you can’t afford a car." This tidbit reminds me of a similar anecdote (that my experience aligns with) re: the modern upper class that wearing a $2k Rolex or driving a $70k BMW i…

> re: the modern upper class that wearing a $2k Rolex or driving a $70k BMW is frowned upon. always has been moon meme. unless you're neveaux rich or stupid or both it is in your absolute interest not to show what you have. driving a Prius used to be that signal but today it has shifted. My direct boss was a Schenker heir (the freight forwarding company) and the only way he showed off is by living in a rental house (…

> neveaux rich

nouveau riche, or nouveaux riches

Sorry if this comes off as pedantic, but as a French, I couldn't resist :D

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