9 ms·

I respect financial samurai a great deal and his posts give me a lot to think about, especially when I respectfully disagree with some of his points. Some thou

I respect financial samurai a great deal and his posts give me a lot to think about, especially when I respectfully disagree with some of his points. Some thoughts: 1)Life is hard and humans respond to that in a variety of ways, like desire for prestige. However prestige is one thing that can be given and received freely as well. Compliments are a great way to build a culture of cost-free prestige. It’s not always about climbing the stack rank. 2) Consumption as prestige is a trap created by marketing, but at the same time a signal that works well in some cultures. Signaling you desire more let’s leaders know you are hungry to grow. You can think of this as unfortunate, but it’s very real. 3) Sometimes it is just nice to have nice things. I find the desire for external prestige dies when your internal sense of prestige grows. You see many wealthy people become unconcerned with showing off after achieving real goals in the world. That being said they still live in mansions and drive exotic vehicles.

FooBarWidget 9y ago
> Signaling you desire more let’s leaders know you are hungry to grow. Is that really how it works? If I look at Chinese materialism as prestige, I don't see anybody signaling that they are hungry. I only see people signaling that they have stuff and that somehow having stuff equates happiness and "something good".
- tsunamifury 9y ago
  American Corp culture still sees a hungry young worker with good taste as “one of them”. Knowing what car to take to the track, sailing knowledge, or what Hermès scarf to buy as a gift for their partner as comforting conversation fodder that makes them more comfortable with you.
- troycarlson 9y ago
  One interpretation of this is leaders viewing a young, "hungry" employee who likes to spend money as being more reliant on a salary than someone who's identity isn't so tied to spending money. If the hungry one needs a steady salary to maintain their lifestyle, they're more likely to be loyal to the company because they can't afford to leave. Of course that depends on the employee being someone the company actually wants to keep around and and whether the company can afford to pay them above market value.
  - tsunamifury 9y ago
    This is the unfortunate part. But if you are concerned with scaling salary it can work to your advantage for a time.
verylittlemeat 9y ago
For #2 I think it would do well to question why you're hungry. Growth can be beneficial but it can also be malignant.

FooBarWidget 9y ago

> Signaling you desire more let’s leaders know you are hungry to grow. Is that really how it works? If I look at Chinese materialism as prestige, I don't see anybody signaling that they are hungry. I only see people signaling that they have stuff and that somehow having stuff equates happiness and "something good".

tsunamifury 9y ago
American Corp culture still sees a hungry young worker with good taste as “one of them”. Knowing what car to take to the track, sailing knowledge, or what Hermès scarf to buy as a gift for their partner as comforting conversation fodder that makes them more comfortable with you.
troycarlson 9y ago
One interpretation of this is leaders viewing a young, "hungry" employee who likes to spend money as being more reliant on a salary than someone who's identity isn't so tied to spending money. If the hungry one needs a steady salary to maintain their lifestyle, they're more likely to be loyal to the company because they can't afford to leave. Of course that depends on the employee being someone the company actually wants to keep around and and whether the company can afford to pay them above market value.
- tsunamifury 9y ago
  This is the unfortunate part. But if you are concerned with scaling salary it can work to your advantage for a time.

verylittlemeat 9y ago

For #2 I think it would do well to question why you're hungry. Growth can be beneficial but it can also be malignant.