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"I'm a regular guy" -- This establishes a social status you want us to see. I said "I'm a regular guy" to prevent the counter-argument "Yeah, but you're spe

"I'm a regular guy" -- This establishes a social status you want us to see. I said "I'm a regular guy" to prevent the counter-argument "Yeah, but you're special (as a HN reader, physicist, ... whatever) and do not represent the majority of te population we are talking about". Because all of us here aren't special: there are at least many thousands of people in the world like any one of us. You are now interpreting my words based on what you expected to see, as you were primed to do by unconsciously having already accepted the premise in the article and not considering alternative interpretations. You work in a non-profit? That's because you wish to signal social standing. You work at a hedge-fund and make lots of money? That's because you want to signal social standing. You work at a startup? That's because you want to signal social standing. You work at a MegaCorp? That's because you want to signal social standing. The analysis is meaningless. It's Freud all over again.

Xurinos 16y ago
We are in agreement: you used status in order to counter an argument (claiming to be "I'm a regular guy" in order to avoid the "you're special" argument). "The analysis is meaningless. It's Freud all over again" -- Brushing me off, grouping me, and separating yourself. I see your point about other actions signaling social status. You're right: they do. By the way, I did not read the article before responding to you. I read someone's comment and then yours, and previous experiences were triggered. I responded to you, read the article, and responded to another commenter. I am only talking about words, not really analyzing YOU with the exception of my call for introspection. I am as guilty as anyone of the signaling. I could have not responded because, after all, I do not know you.
- Confusion 16y ago
  My problem is not so much whether everyone is in fact also signalling status all of the time. That may well be the case, but my point is that that assertion doesn't add anything to an analysis, unless you can convincingly argue it is a decisive factor.

Xurinos 16y ago

We are in agreement: you used status in order to counter an argument (claiming to be "I'm a regular guy" in order to avoid the "you're special" argument). "The analysis is meaningless. It's Freud all over again" -- Brushing me off, grouping me, and separating yourself. I see your point about other actions signaling social status. You're right: they do. By the way, I did not read the article before responding to you. I read someone's comment and then yours, and previous experiences were triggered. I responded to you, read the article, and responded to another commenter. I am only talking about words, not really analyzing YOU with the exception of my call for introspection. I am as guilty as anyone of the signaling. I could have not responded because, after all, I do not know you.

Confusion 16y ago
My problem is not so much whether everyone is in fact also signalling status all of the time. That may well be the case, but my point is that that assertion doesn't add anything to an analysis, unless you can convincingly argue it is a decisive factor.