4 ms·

> No one likes you because of what you buy - that's not how it works. Some people really are that vapid. Anecdotes aren't worth much in this space but a lot of

> No one likes you because of what you buy - that's not how it works. Some people really are that vapid. Anecdotes aren't worth much in this space but a lot of people I know are recreational shoppers and the extent of their conversational capacity is places they've dined at, things they have and shit they like. Now, maybe most people don't mind that sort of person. I don't think it would be uncharitable to call me a misanthropic arsehole. But I enjoy people who can think creatively, have even just an interest - not necessarily foundational knowledge - in science, history, politics, economics, engineering, and technology. To know whether someone is interested in these things does require some knowledge signalling - but that's not what we're talking about here. We're talking about stuff you buy, and I was suggesting that anything used almost exclusively for signalling which lacks utility should be toned down if you don't want to be a slave to your possessions. Someone interested in astronomy might have a reflector telescope in their living room - it has utility and indirectly signals what they like, which is fine. Someone who likes eating but has never cooked a meal in their life and surrounds themselves with celebrity cookware and stylised kitchen appliances should consider just saving money for eating out - the return on investment will be greater.

shubb 9y ago
Some guys, usually is guys, love to talk about sport. They don't play sport - maybe they did back at college but the drinking aspect of being in a team was just as important as athleticism. But now sport is something they watch and talk about. Not something they do. In the office or at a party where they don't know people, they find other sport talkers. If you don't sport, you get kind of shut out of these conversations because the up to date body of knowledge needed in order to have something to say requires more effort to maintain than you would want to put in unless you were genuinely interested. And I'm not. That's fine. Instead, I'd talk to my friends about economics or tech. If I was at an awkward party and found a guy who could talk with nuance about 20th century Korean history I'd just found a new friend. I felt honestly superior to these sport people. I don't do politics though. I don't make history. And economics is like the weather only less predictable. It's the same thing. People talking about stuff they don't do. Neutral ground where opinions seem important but don't really matter where you can dance to show cultural fit, intellect, negotiation skill, and signal the way you think of your conversation partners. Hockey and football are different games, and if you want the social and emotional rewards of being in your local amateur team you had better pick one and practice it. if you view it as networking, then you'll meet different kinds of people in different types of sport team. Better learn golf if you want to meet that sort of folk. Some people talk about stuff they do. Everyone goes shopping. Most people go to work, bring up kids, repair thier houses. It's not so abstract but in a way, those conversations matter more. You can tell because liking the wrong team gets you teased, but the wrong opinion about child rearing could lose you a good friend. If you think about it, looking down on talking about what we actually do is more a judgment on how lame that stuff is. In sure if you were talking to someone with a truly interesting life it would be fine. How interesting are we though?
- icanhackit 9y ago
  > How interesting are we though? It's kind of a pointless question. There's value in gaining and sharing knowledge that allows you to analyse and interpret the machinations world so that you can make educated decisions rather than be blindly subjected to change. There is objective value in understanding human history, economic basics, biology, nutritional health etc compared to who kicked a goal in 1987. Who you're interesting to depends on preference. Someone who is too busy thinking about football than the cons of buying a house in a floodplain will probably suffer from their ignorance. If we're to evolve as a species we need to be highly considerate and take an interest in the world around us.

shubb 9y ago

Some guys, usually is guys, love to talk about sport. They don't play sport - maybe they did back at college but the drinking aspect of being in a team was just as important as athleticism. But now sport is something they watch and talk about. Not something they do. In the office or at a party where they don't know people, they find other sport talkers. If you don't sport, you get kind of shut out of these conversations because the up to date body of knowledge needed in order to have something to say requires more effort to maintain than you would want to put in unless you were genuinely interested. And I'm not. That's fine. Instead, I'd talk to my friends about economics or tech. If I was at an awkward party and found a guy who could talk with nuance about 20th century Korean history I'd just found a new friend. I felt honestly superior to these sport people. I don't do politics though. I don't make history. And economics is like the weather only less predictable. It's the same thing. People talking about stuff they don't do. Neutral ground where opinions seem important but don't really matter where you can dance to show cultural fit, intellect, negotiation skill, and signal the way you think of your conversation partners. Hockey and football are different games, and if you want the social and emotional rewards of being in your local amateur team you had better pick one and practice it. if you view it as networking, then you'll meet different kinds of people in different types of sport team. Better learn golf if you want to meet that sort of folk. Some people talk about stuff they do. Everyone goes shopping. Most people go to work, bring up kids, repair thier houses. It's not so abstract but in a way, those conversations matter more. You can tell because liking the wrong team gets you teased, but the wrong opinion about child rearing could lose you a good friend. If you think about it, looking down on talking about what we actually do is more a judgment on how lame that stuff is. In sure if you were talking to someone with a truly interesting life it would be fine. How interesting are we though?

icanhackit 9y ago
> How interesting are we though? It's kind of a pointless question. There's value in gaining and sharing knowledge that allows you to analyse and interpret the machinations world so that you can make educated decisions rather than be blindly subjected to change. There is objective value in understanding human history, economic basics, biology, nutritional health etc compared to who kicked a goal in 1987. Who you're interesting to depends on preference. Someone who is too busy thinking about football than the cons of buying a house in a floodplain will probably suffer from their ignorance. If we're to evolve as a species we need to be highly considerate and take an interest in the world around us.