4 ms·

> why the meme "have the audacity of a mediocre white man" is so important. Important? I avoid people who are comfortable speaking like this. If someone said t

> why the meme "have the audacity of a mediocre white man" is so important. Important? I avoid people who are comfortable speaking like this. If someone said this to me in real life, I'd make a mental note that they're not to be taken seriously, or worse, potentially dangerous.

Spivak 3y ago
Yes important. You can take issue with the phrasing all you want but it's the phrasing that caught on, in large part due to the fact that it's attention grabbing. You can tell women all day every day to apply for jobs you don't meet all the qualifications for and that it's a good thing to go in confident and self-assured but you won't have 1% of the impact of that phrase going viral. It sets up a reference that every. single. woman. in the world knows and has experienced first hand for actually how you actually change your behavior. You got this girl -- channel the energy of that guy at the bar who tried to impress you by acting like he was god's gift to finance because he worked in crypto. And since you're putting on a kind of persona it's so much easier to do it without holding yourself back, you're playing a character.
- cuttysnark 3y ago
  What you're selling can be sold without racially-charged memes. Thanks for understanding.
  - Clamchop 3y ago
    Maybe it sells better as a meme. Your patience is appreciated.
babyeater9000 3y ago
I think there might be some class-based miscommunication here. I would like to humbly recommend a book: https://www.panmacmillan.com/authors/darren-mcgarvey/poverty-safari/9781529006346 https://www.panmacmillan.com/authors/darren-mcgarvey/poverty... . It's one of my favorites because it puts into words some inklings I occasionally get when I talk to mediocre white men (read here: upper middle class people). I think that the default stance when you're a member of the in-group is one of comfort and tacit understanding that your opinions will be valued and your personhood will be respected. I think that the default stance when you're the member of an out-group is one of fear and stress because there is a tacit understanding that your opinions will not be valued (unless exceptionally insightful/valuable) and that your personhood will not be respected. Class is racialized in the United States and I am making the assumption that the above commentor is American (hence interpreting racialization as class; race is constructed. See blonde white women). Now, I ask: what makes the above comment about mediocre white men challenging? For me, I think that it comes from an out-group default frame of reference, where the default state of worth is replaced with a default state of worthlessness. Being implicitly treated as worthless can be aggravating and feel threatening, because it is. I think that this frame of mind is perfectly rational when you look at outcomes from members of out-groups. When looked at from the point of view where only the truly gifted and exceptional in your class are treated as people, is there any wonder why there is class rage? When I look at mediocre white men and observe them, they have class signifiers. Walking around in a relaxed posture, general ease, confidence, and sometimes even this type of generic dismissal of the thoughts of others are some typical behaviors of mediocre white men. I guess I'm trying to say that we should try to be thoughtful about why people write things. The words are not often careless. Also, a hit dog will holler.
- cuttysnark 3y ago
  My issue is with the implication of a skin color. I don't need a book to know that's wrong. Can't be hand-waved away, I'm afraid.
- deleted 3y ago
  [deleted]

Spivak 3y ago

Yes important. You can take issue with the phrasing all you want but it's the phrasing that caught on, in large part due to the fact that it's attention grabbing. You can tell women all day every day to apply for jobs you don't meet all the qualifications for and that it's a good thing to go in confident and self-assured but you won't have 1% of the impact of that phrase going viral. It sets up a reference that every. single. woman. in the world knows and has experienced first hand for actually how you actually change your behavior. You got this girl -- channel the energy of that guy at the bar who tried to impress you by acting like he was god's gift to finance because he worked in crypto. And since you're putting on a kind of persona it's so much easier to do it without holding yourself back, you're playing a character.

cuttysnark 3y ago
What you're selling can be sold without racially-charged memes. Thanks for understanding.
- Clamchop 3y ago
  Maybe it sells better as a meme. Your patience is appreciated.

babyeater9000 3y ago

I think there might be some class-based miscommunication here. I would like to humbly recommend a book: https://www.panmacmillan.com/authors/darren-mcgarvey/poverty-safari/9781529006346 https://www.panmacmillan.com/authors/darren-mcgarvey/poverty... . It's one of my favorites because it puts into words some inklings I occasionally get when I talk to mediocre white men (read here: upper middle class people). I think that the default stance when you're a member of the in-group is one of comfort and tacit understanding that your opinions will be valued and your personhood will be respected. I think that the default stance when you're the member of an out-group is one of fear and stress because there is a tacit understanding that your opinions will not be valued (unless exceptionally insightful/valuable) and that your personhood will not be respected. Class is racialized in the United States and I am making the assumption that the above commentor is American (hence interpreting racialization as class; race is constructed. See blonde white women). Now, I ask: what makes the above comment about mediocre white men challenging? For me, I think that it comes from an out-group default frame of reference, where the default state of worth is replaced with a default state of worthlessness. Being implicitly treated as worthless can be aggravating and feel threatening, because it is. I think that this frame of mind is perfectly rational when you look at outcomes from members of out-groups. When looked at from the point of view where only the truly gifted and exceptional in your class are treated as people, is there any wonder why there is class rage? When I look at mediocre white men and observe them, they have class signifiers. Walking around in a relaxed posture, general ease, confidence, and sometimes even this type of generic dismissal of the thoughts of others are some typical behaviors of mediocre white men. I guess I'm trying to say that we should try to be thoughtful about why people write things. The words are not often careless. Also, a hit dog will holler.

cuttysnark 3y ago
My issue is with the implication of a skin color. I don't need a book to know that's wrong. Can't be hand-waved away, I'm afraid.
deleted 3y ago
[deleted]