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It seems like they are redefining rock star in the "A rock star likes to be the center of attention." paragraph. I am getting a little sick of the trend[1] of

It seems like they are redefining rock star in the "A rock star likes to be the center of attention." paragraph. I am getting a little sick of the trend[1] of redefining a word to mean something else. Given this, a genuine complement of calling someone a "rock star" should probably be met with a hostility. The line "A rock star appears in dozens of magazine profiles – and never, ever tells the journalist to talk to the people actually doing the practical everyday work." is particularly galling. If you are not doing the work, how the heck would you legitimately be called a rock star? I think the love of tearing down people is echoed in the love of taking words that meant exceptional and making them mean destructive things. Hero and hero words die far too often. 1) its been going on a long time and sometimes I think its an insider trick to know who to award grants to (e.g. "empowerment" was my personal favorite).

tptacek 10y ago
I don't know why people who don't do the real work get the magazine articles and conference talks, but if we're talking about security --- the community being criticized (from the inside) in this post --- it seems like a spot-on observation.
chris_7 10y ago
It's somewhat true that lead singers and guitarists are lionized over drummers and bassists, but they're still doing relatively equal work (and in many cases the singer is also the writer). There's also the sound/lights/crew/merch people, but they wouldn't have a reason to be there without the rock stars.
- protomyth 10y ago
  I think in your first example, I can name a lot more bands that have been able to replace drummers and bassists than lead singers and guitarists, but all of them are considered rock stars. With a bit of unequal fame (well except for the obvious such as Santana). The crew is important, but so is the electric company that provides the power. They are, as you say, only there because of the rock stars.
Animats 10y ago
"A rock star likes to be the center of attention." That describes many CEOs and founders. The VC system today values the glib attention-seeker. So does Kickstarter, where the video of the presenter is often more important than the product. Society as a whole today rewards the attention-seeker. There was a time when self-promotion was considered an embarrassing lower-class trait, associated with door to door salesmen and such. Today, we have Donald Trump. "Attention seeking" and "asshole" are independent. Making your organization asshole-resistant can be worthwhile. Read "Assholes, A Theory", by Aaron James. There are people who want attention but aren't assholes; many actors are like that. There are assholes who don't want attention, just power - they're found in dysfunctional organizations.
- protomyth 10y ago
  Ok and I partially agree, but I'm not arguing that point. I'm trying to figure out why someone is taking a commonly used term for someone with a high achievement level and turn it into crud. Why couldn't they have said "attention seeker" or "asshole"? Why does "rock star" need to be redefined as an insult? Whatever I think about attention seekers[1], I am much more offended by this constant need we seem to have to tear down people who were heroes and with them the words we use to describe our heroes. This churn is bad for us. [edit: obviously anyone who actual did what was said needs to be more than torn down, but that doesn't mean the words need to be burnt] 1) and oh, boy howdy to I have some strong opinions on them including a rant that involves being lied to and almost getting killed by cattle.

tptacek 10y ago

I don't know why people who don't do the real work get the magazine articles and conference talks, but if we're talking about security --- the community being criticized (from the inside) in this post --- it seems like a spot-on observation.

chris_7 10y ago

It's somewhat true that lead singers and guitarists are lionized over drummers and bassists, but they're still doing relatively equal work (and in many cases the singer is also the writer). There's also the sound/lights/crew/merch people, but they wouldn't have a reason to be there without the rock stars.

protomyth 10y ago
I think in your first example, I can name a lot more bands that have been able to replace drummers and bassists than lead singers and guitarists, but all of them are considered rock stars. With a bit of unequal fame (well except for the obvious such as Santana). The crew is important, but so is the electric company that provides the power. They are, as you say, only there because of the rock stars.

Animats 10y ago

"A rock star likes to be the center of attention." That describes many CEOs and founders. The VC system today values the glib attention-seeker. So does Kickstarter, where the video of the presenter is often more important than the product. Society as a whole today rewards the attention-seeker. There was a time when self-promotion was considered an embarrassing lower-class trait, associated with door to door salesmen and such. Today, we have Donald Trump. "Attention seeking" and "asshole" are independent. Making your organization asshole-resistant can be worthwhile. Read "Assholes, A Theory", by Aaron James. There are people who want attention but aren't assholes; many actors are like that. There are assholes who don't want attention, just power - they're found in dysfunctional organizations.

protomyth 10y ago
Ok and I partially agree, but I'm not arguing that point. I'm trying to figure out why someone is taking a commonly used term for someone with a high achievement level and turn it into crud. Why couldn't they have said "attention seeker" or "asshole"? Why does "rock star" need to be redefined as an insult? Whatever I think about attention seekers[1], I am much more offended by this constant need we seem to have to tear down people who were heroes and with them the words we use to describe our heroes. This churn is bad for us. [edit: obviously anyone who actual did what was said needs to be more than torn down, but that doesn't mean the words need to be burnt] 1) and oh, boy howdy to I have some strong opinions on them including a rant that involves being lied to and almost getting killed by cattle.