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It may be difficult to acquire, but that doesn't make it zero sum. If you gain status by creating a billion dollar company or writing a bestseller, it doesn't t
by danenania 15y ago
It may be difficult to acquire, but that doesn't make it zero sum. If you gain status by creating a billion dollar company or writing a bestseller, it doesn't take away from anyone else's.
That said, who gives a shit? People focused on status tend to be incredibly lame.
- protomyth 15y agoIt is pretty close to a zero-sum-game because time is finite and status requires people's time to pay attention. If you gain status by writing a bestseller, some other author is not being talked about now and loses status. Time is a limiter. Who cares? Well, status is a currency in many professions. The most obvious are performers. Status allows options which allows better pay or more personal projects. Status allows a programmer to talk to graphic card companies and have a hope of changing their minds. As much as I wish it were so, pure competence or brilliance doesn't buy that. You have to use the skills to acquire the status. The guy in the back room churning out just as good of code doesn't have the influence (probably some exec does in that case).
- Natsu 15y agoBeing high status implies that other people are below you. Otherwise, your status could not be high relative to theirs. It's a relative measure, sure, but being high status implies that there's at least one other person who isn't. That said, I agree with you about focusing on status.