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"Status limbo" is an imaginary affliction affecting those who derive their self-worth primarily from external validation. This is a precarious disposition in ge

"Status limbo" is an imaginary affliction affecting those who derive their self-worth primarily from external validation. This is a precarious disposition in general, since their self-worth is determined by the whims of external factors like employment, social media, and other information bubbles. Often it's not even external factors so much as the afflicted's perception of those external factors, which is even more precarious. Notably, the author of this article never reflects on their definition of "status," and instead simply assumes that it's a self-evident marker that's categorizable as in "limbo" or (apparently) some stable equilibrium. If the author were to reorient their definition of "status" to a more inwardly determined metric, perhaps they would realize it could rarely ever be in "limbo" in the first place.

o-o- 3y ago
+1 insightful to put it in slashdot terms. A reminder to most of us I guess.
lbotos 3y ago
You hit a lot of great truths here, but "status limbo" can still affect those that are not looking for outward symbols or validation of "status". Limbo implies a conflict of over/under, and someone may be having an internal conflict: - Should I donate more? - I like to drive a car that is comfortable, will people think of me different if I buy a sports car because I want to drive a nice car? - Should I pay for this dinner for friends because I like them and I can afford to, does that change our relationship dynamic negatively? Am I stingy if I don't? These things could be in service of outward validation, but even if they aren't, because they are actions that end up happening in the world others can see them, which affects status. The equilibrium I posit is as such: There are three sides to a triangle: - Who you are - Who you think you are - Who others think you are When all of those things are aligned and you are in the "center" you've reached equilibrium.
- TacticalCoder 3y ago
  > - I like to drive a car that is comfortable, will people think of me different if I buy a sports car because I want to drive a nice car? That's why I explain to people that most people driving nice cars don't do it because they care about what others do think but precisely because they don't give the slightest fuck.
digging 3y ago
They do actually acknowledge internal state, > Status limbo is a state of ambiguity and future uncertainty about your status, both in your estimation and as perceived by others. But overall I agree that the article doesn't have a good foundation in defining status (or even caring about it). The article conflates social status and direction in life and career goals, which are actually all separate concepts (although usually interconnected). Then again, this article is apparently written for entrepreneurs of high social status, so maybe I don't have the right to comment on it, as a non-entrepreneurial person of indistinct-to-low social status.
aredox 3y ago
This is completely tautological and therefore nonsensical. Status is a pure social construct without any physical, objective markings. What you imagine as "deriving my self worth from internal rather than external validation" is purely interiorizing the external validation - in effect, fixing the external validation into your psyche. Of course, if your own opinion of yourself happens to be at odds with the other's appreciation of you, the mismatch will make your life worse. Nobody likes for long self-absorbed, egocentric people who never seem to "get" any hints.
mock-possum 3y ago
Yeah I know it’s a little glib, but - > Status limbo is a state of ambiguity and future uncertainty about your status, both in your estimation and as perceived by others … status limbo seems to be a universal human experience that we all have more than once in a lifetime. Sure I’ve had that experience… in grade school. But as an adult? I can’t think of the last time I was concerned with the kind of status that the author is describing. Uncertainty about my own status? In my own estimation? How could there be? I know me, I like me, I is what I is - what’s to be uncertain about? Other people’s uncertainty? How? About what? Again, it’s been a long time since I’ve fretted about what others might secretly think of me. And to tie all this into a job, of all things? It’s just such an alien perspective, to hear an adult (I assume) worrying over such an… as you say, an ‘imaginary affliction.’ What kind of world must they be living in where such concerns would be legitimate?
zeroclicks 3y ago
> "information bubbles" Word of the day! Excellent.

o-o- 3y ago

+1 insightful to put it in slashdot terms. A reminder to most of us I guess.

lbotos 3y ago

You hit a lot of great truths here, but "status limbo" can still affect those that are not looking for outward symbols or validation of "status". Limbo implies a conflict of over/under, and someone may be having an internal conflict: - Should I donate more? - I like to drive a car that is comfortable, will people think of me different if I buy a sports car because I want to drive a nice car? - Should I pay for this dinner for friends because I like them and I can afford to, does that change our relationship dynamic negatively? Am I stingy if I don't? These things could be in service of outward validation, but even if they aren't, because they are actions that end up happening in the world others can see them, which affects status. The equilibrium I posit is as such: There are three sides to a triangle: - Who you are - Who you think you are - Who others think you are When all of those things are aligned and you are in the "center" you've reached equilibrium.

TacticalCoder 3y ago
> - I like to drive a car that is comfortable, will people think of me different if I buy a sports car because I want to drive a nice car? That's why I explain to people that most people driving nice cars don't do it because they care about what others do think but precisely because they don't give the slightest fuck.

digging 3y ago

They do actually acknowledge internal state, > Status limbo is a state of ambiguity and future uncertainty about your status, both in your estimation and as perceived by others. But overall I agree that the article doesn't have a good foundation in defining status (or even caring about it). The article conflates social status and direction in life and career goals, which are actually all separate concepts (although usually interconnected). Then again, this article is apparently written for entrepreneurs of high social status, so maybe I don't have the right to comment on it, as a non-entrepreneurial person of indistinct-to-low social status.

aredox 3y ago

This is completely tautological and therefore nonsensical. Status is a pure social construct without any physical, objective markings. What you imagine as "deriving my self worth from internal rather than external validation" is purely interiorizing the external validation - in effect, fixing the external validation into your psyche. Of course, if your own opinion of yourself happens to be at odds with the other's appreciation of you, the mismatch will make your life worse. Nobody likes for long self-absorbed, egocentric people who never seem to "get" any hints.

mock-possum 3y ago

Yeah I know it’s a little glib, but - > Status limbo is a state of ambiguity and future uncertainty about your status, both in your estimation and as perceived by others … status limbo seems to be a universal human experience that we all have more than once in a lifetime. Sure I’ve had that experience… in grade school. But as an adult? I can’t think of the last time I was concerned with the kind of status that the author is describing. Uncertainty about my own status? In my own estimation? How could there be? I know me, I like me, I is what I is - what’s to be uncertain about? Other people’s uncertainty? How? About what? Again, it’s been a long time since I’ve fretted about what others might secretly think of me. And to tie all this into a job, of all things? It’s just such an alien perspective, to hear an adult (I assume) worrying over such an… as you say, an ‘imaginary affliction.’ What kind of world must they be living in where such concerns would be legitimate?

zeroclicks 3y ago

> "information bubbles" Word of the day! Excellent.