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The first rush of comments are all negative, mostly of the ad hominem sort, accusing PG of publicly psychoanalyzing himself. And yet, I really liked the essay b

The first rush of comments are all negative, mostly of the ad hominem sort, accusing PG of publicly psychoanalyzing himself. And yet, I really liked the essay because it reads like a lifeline to those who doubt themselves, perhaps profoundly. To PG the same qualities that alienate a "fierce nerd" in so many contexts are precisely the same qualities that could lead to success (even dominance) in other contexts. The useful follow on to this essay, I would think, is to give a list, as long as possible, of places where "fierce nerds" are wanted, demanded, needed - both well-known institutions and startups. Another useful follow up would be to give better advice about achieving harmony. Everyone deserves peace; to put it another way, progress that requires a human to sacrifice love isn't worth making.

moolcool 5y ago
>The useful follow on to this essay, I would think, is to give a list, as long as possible, of places where "fierce nerds" are wanted, demanded, needed - both well-known institutions and startups. "How to Deal with Difficult People on Software Projects" is a pretty good read in this vain https://neilonsoftware.com/difficult-people-on-software-projects/ https://neilonsoftware.com/difficult-people-on-software-proj...
- yosito 5y ago
  This article promises "how to deal", but all it delivers is a list of difficult stereotypes, prefaced by reasons you are not allowed to disagree with the stereotypes, and never discusses how to deal with them.
Bukhmanizer 5y ago
> And yet, I really liked the essay because it reads like a lifeline to those who doubt themselves, perhaps profoundly Do they? I mean one of the define characteristics is an overconfidence in themselves. I think PG is trying to justify some kind of assholish behaviour in his past by reframing it as a virtue. Really, I think the “fierceness” is incidental. Do immensely successful people need to be somewhat competitive? Sure. Do they have to interrupt everyone, lack social awareness, etc? Probably not.
- GavinMcG 5y ago
  Overconfidence and self-doubt can go hand-in-hand: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vulnerable_narcissism https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vulnerable_narcissism
  - Bukhmanizer 5y ago
    Is there a clear definition of self-doubt that doesn’t overlap with underconfidence? Because if the terms we’re using are so broad that a person can both be described as overconfident and underconfident, then as I say elsewhere this just looks like cold reading.
    - SyzygistSix 5y ago
      It's the difference between feeling and acting. A person can feel a lack of confidence and feel doubt and still act confident or overconfident. Lots of people, like artists, visionaries, and weirdos who make strides to live a unique life have to act confidently to get to that life yet many also have a lot of self doubt. They just do the brave thing to move ahead with their vision even though it could likely end in failure. For many it does, whether they are remembered posthumously or not.
      - ModernMech 5y ago
        > A person can feel a lack of confidence and feel doubt and still act confident or overconfident. This is essentially the pathology of a narcissist.
    - playpause 5y ago
      People are really complex systems, they don’t just have one emotion, even at one time. I know several people who seem to swing between overconfidence and self doubt, sometimes very suddenly. Maybe some will eventually settle in the middle. But if someone has something in their psyche that just keeps pushing them back into an overconfident mindset, then it’s hard to see how they wouldn’t also experience regular injections of humiliation leading to growing self doubts over time.
commandlinefan 5y ago
> The first rush of comments are all negative, mostly of the ad hominem sort Happens on every PG post.
kevmo314 5y ago
Maybe their fierceness has turned into bitterness and they've turned into an intellectual playground bully.
- mcguire 5y ago
  Or perhaps they're too independently minded, but not in the right way.

moolcool 5y ago

>The useful follow on to this essay, I would think, is to give a list, as long as possible, of places where "fierce nerds" are wanted, demanded, needed - both well-known institutions and startups. "How to Deal with Difficult People on Software Projects" is a pretty good read in this vain https://neilonsoftware.com/difficult-people-on-software-projects/ https://neilonsoftware.com/difficult-people-on-software-proj...

yosito 5y ago
This article promises "how to deal", but all it delivers is a list of difficult stereotypes, prefaced by reasons you are not allowed to disagree with the stereotypes, and never discusses how to deal with them.

Bukhmanizer 5y ago

> And yet, I really liked the essay because it reads like a lifeline to those who doubt themselves, perhaps profoundly Do they? I mean one of the define characteristics is an overconfidence in themselves. I think PG is trying to justify some kind of assholish behaviour in his past by reframing it as a virtue. Really, I think the “fierceness” is incidental. Do immensely successful people need to be somewhat competitive? Sure. Do they have to interrupt everyone, lack social awareness, etc? Probably not.

GavinMcG 5y ago
Overconfidence and self-doubt can go hand-in-hand: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vulnerable_narcissism https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vulnerable_narcissism
- Bukhmanizer 5y ago
  Is there a clear definition of self-doubt that doesn’t overlap with underconfidence? Because if the terms we’re using are so broad that a person can both be described as overconfident and underconfident, then as I say elsewhere this just looks like cold reading.
  - SyzygistSix 5y ago
    It's the difference between feeling and acting. A person can feel a lack of confidence and feel doubt and still act confident or overconfident. Lots of people, like artists, visionaries, and weirdos who make strides to live a unique life have to act confidently to get to that life yet many also have a lot of self doubt. They just do the brave thing to move ahead with their vision even though it could likely end in failure. For many it does, whether they are remembered posthumously or not.
    - ModernMech 5y ago
      > A person can feel a lack of confidence and feel doubt and still act confident or overconfident. This is essentially the pathology of a narcissist.
  - playpause 5y ago
    People are really complex systems, they don’t just have one emotion, even at one time. I know several people who seem to swing between overconfidence and self doubt, sometimes very suddenly. Maybe some will eventually settle in the middle. But if someone has something in their psyche that just keeps pushing them back into an overconfident mindset, then it’s hard to see how they wouldn’t also experience regular injections of humiliation leading to growing self doubts over time.

commandlinefan 5y ago

> The first rush of comments are all negative, mostly of the ad hominem sort Happens on every PG post.

kevmo314 5y ago

Maybe their fierceness has turned into bitterness and they've turned into an intellectual playground bully.

mcguire 5y ago
Or perhaps they're too independently minded, but not in the right way.