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But was it due to ESR's ramblings or due to patches overflowing his inbox capacity? Personally, for years I had been completely ignoring everybody who framed s
by qb45 11y ago
But was it due to ESR's ramblings or due to patches overflowing his inbox capacity?
Personally, for years I had been completely ignoring everybody who framed something as "a better alternative to talent" (wtf?) or said the magic words "you are smarter than me". They correlated too well with "stupid ideas I knew (or quickly checked) to be wrong".
Nowadays I'm trying to fish for useful information even in messages which push my bullshit-o-meter out of scale, but it takes work.
If you want to maximize your chance of being treated seriously, stick to constructive arguments about the problem at hand, not some generic unfalsifiable wisdom.
- lilbobbytables 11y agoThe reason for that way of phrasing is because it appeals to ego. If you want someone to do something, particularly someone with a known ego, then this is an effective way to get them to listen to you and not dismiss you. Of course, there's a fine line between stroking and patronizing, though.
- qb45 11y agoNo, it's a trap. It works until you get to those with really big egos who take pride in dismantling such tricks and gaming others by pretending to fall for their games. These need higher levels of gaming. But in the end, if you truly think that something is a good idea for everyone involved, just explain why.
- jschwartzi 11y agoWhenever someone accuses me of being smart I take it as an insult because they usually mean I'm not communicating at a useful level for them.