3 ms·

I'm with you on this one. I don't like abusers and assholes, but I like the title, and intend to continue to use it in a positive light, sparingly, and with goo

I'm with you on this one. I don't like abusers and assholes, but I like the title, and intend to continue to use it in a positive light, sparingly, and with good purpose. In my interpretation of the title, some rock stars are jerks, others are actually pretty good people. When I used to work in politics, after he did a great speech at the DNC convention, I called Obama a "rock star" that was going to go on to big things. That was long before he announced his run for presidency. Mind you, I didn't even vote for him and I said that (I proudly throw my presidential vote away for the Libertarian candidate every year). That title works best, naturally, when it isn't diluted down in crappy job postings. I'm all for tossing out abusers here, don't get me wrong. But honestly, as perhaps the only person here that has ever actually contracted a form of Cholera (long story), I still wouldn't want to live in a world that's only plumbers, and I don't think you would either.

tptacek 10y ago
I'm harping on this, I know, but I really don't think the goal of this post is to get people to stop using the term "rock star", and the fact that people keep suggesting that's the controversy makes me worry people haven't really read the piece very carefully.
- kyledrake 10y ago
  Subtly equating abusive behavior with people that are energetic and ambitious is clearly baked into the nature of this conversation and that particular facet is quite controversial to me, and to a lot of people here that are likely as concerned about abusive behavior as I am. We don't need to institutionally get rid of "rock stars". Their ambition for attention and fame is a recipe for a lot of great things. What I think we really need here is to get better at not enabling them to be abusive, and for calling them out when they are. I also do think we need to get better at choosing who our rock stars are, an opinion I got a long time ago from watching Limp Bizkit win a music award.

tptacek 10y ago

I'm harping on this, I know, but I really don't think the goal of this post is to get people to stop using the term "rock star", and the fact that people keep suggesting that's the controversy makes me worry people haven't really read the piece very carefully.

kyledrake 10y ago
Subtly equating abusive behavior with people that are energetic and ambitious is clearly baked into the nature of this conversation and that particular facet is quite controversial to me, and to a lot of people here that are likely as concerned about abusive behavior as I am. We don't need to institutionally get rid of "rock stars". Their ambition for attention and fame is a recipe for a lot of great things. What I think we really need here is to get better at not enabling them to be abusive, and for calling them out when they are. I also do think we need to get better at choosing who our rock stars are, an opinion I got a long time ago from watching Limp Bizkit win a music award.