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> I know some of you will say “Just ignore the status game altogether,” but this is easier said than done. Like many other animals, we are biologically wired to
by scandox 5y ago
> I know some of you will say “Just ignore the status game altogether,” but this is easier said than done. Like many other animals, we are biologically wired to respond to status. Ignorance is not the way out.
It's not ignorance to overcome our biology. It is possible to control our desire for status and to live better lives and be happier as a result.
Also different cultures are much more competitive about status: America is pretty extreme in this respect.
- smitty1e 5y agoStatus is a temporal, worldly thing. Among the better ways to "win" this game is to seek status in the metaphysical. In a way, this is "winning" through "not playing". By some measures, I'm doing OK at it, if money is the scoring basis. OTOH, I've lived with the same house/car/wardrobe for a couple of decades. Do these oligarchs/celebrities really have more joy than I? Maybe.
- quinnjh 5y agoIs this the same logic as religiously shunning wealth for returns in the afterlife/spiritual realm? Maybe this is how you counter the maybe?
- _bfhp 5y agoI have come to read any statement like "we are biologically wired to X" as a declaration of nihilism and misanthropy. Wired is what a light bulb is to a switch. Individual humans are complex, beautiful and capable of overcoming pretty much anything, including biological tendencies.
- qwertygnu 5y ago> Wired is what a light bulb is to a switch. lol this is a good one. might have to steal it ;)
- andreilys 5y agoBlank slatism and the ignorance of human nature has done far more harm for humans than those who acknowledge that our brains haven’t evolved much since our days as foraging tribes.
- _bfhp 5y agoYou caught me, I'm one of those blank slate extremists who say harmful and unreasonable things like "Individual humans are capable of overcoming biological tendencies." Hard to argue though that eugenics, forced sterilization, biological justification for slavery pale in comparison to the damage of various examples you've detailed
- andreilys 5y agoCommunism is based on a blank slatist definition of humans and has led to millions being suppressed, starved, slaughtered, or ethnically cleansed.
- leaflets2 5y agoHey, humans are wired for nice things, not just bad stuff. Quoting @insickness above: > Our minds are wired to get pleasure from working with others and being validated and appreciated for our work. That is part of status https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30883314 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30883314 And for helping and being kind to others.
- insickness 5y ago> It is possible to control our desire for status This is a narrow view of status. In many ways, any type of validation you get from working with others can be considered status. Most animals achieve status through physical aggression, while humans (and chimps) achieve status through cooperation and contributing to the group. Our minds are wired to get pleasure from working with others and being validated and appreciated for our work. That is part of status. If you enjoy doing the work you do and it makes you happy, that's because your brain is wired for status. Nothing wrong with it. There are of course negative sides of status like conspicuous consumption, social media addiction, etc. But just because you learn to avoid the pitfalls of status doesn't mean you aren't playing the game.
- elvis10ten 5y agoI always find that people who claim that they or a geography have fewer/no status sports are only referring to the “popular” games. There is always an alternative game. People in Europe claim it. I have lived in Africa, Europe, US and the Middle East. The only difference I saw is the type of games people generally engage in. Geeks claim it, because they don’t engage in the typical meat world status game. But again, we just usually play a different game. …
- daniel-cussen 5y agoelvis10ten, you're dead on the money! You are playing it with your comment, and likewise mysameself with mine. And if none of the games are for you, dear reader, perhaps invent your own game.
- pram 5y agoIt's a false dichotomy. There is a lot of space between 'clout whore' and 'rugged contrarian' and you don't have to commit your life to either. People who aren't trying to dominate in some status jockeying game aren't ignorant.