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That's a really, really specific judgement of what's going on. I really wouldn't put it down to active malicious intentions. As is so often the case, it's gener

That's a really, really specific judgement of what's going on. I really wouldn't put it down to active malicious intentions. As is so often the case, it's generally a more nebulous reason; in this case I think they're just posing him in a popular style for the young but successful. The writer is trying to convey a young male who's a tremendous outlier, so they describe him as being just as outlier-esque in his appearance and mannerisms. The reasons behind why this is a popular style of portrayal may very well be as you say, but it could very well be just a deep seated need to mark those who have vast differences in ability as being of a very different social or behavioural group. This need to be different could stem from jealousy, and a general uneasyness about their own life acheivements. After all if the tremendously successful aren't different, and are instead just like us, then how are they so much more successful? Why are aren't we all successful? That's an uneasy thought, so humans may want to dismiss it by saying "They must just be 'different.'"

parennoob 13y ago
Your point is well taken. It may not be jealousy per se, but more a need to 'mark out' people who are different in some way. Either way, it is ridiculous that tech 'journalists' feel that they have open license to mock the physical appearance of males in the technology industry like this, because, face it, who's going to stand up on their behalf? It's a thin line between general mud-slinging and actively malicious intentions . The classroom bully also sometimes does it "just for fun", he doesn't have "actively malicious intentions". On the other hand imagine the outcry if an article had described Marissa Mayer in this photo (http://i.huffpost.com/gen/881509/thumbs/r-MARISSA-MAYER-INTERVIEW-large570.jpg http://i.huffpost.com/gen/881509/thumbs/r-MARISSA-MAYER-INTE...) as "having a cartoonish smile, with stringy blond hair, BO, and a surprising number of wrinkles." (note: NOT something I intend to be taken seriously, just an example of generally saying horrible things about a person). People would have been up in arms about "objectifying women in the tech industry and criticizing their looks instead of concentrating on their successes."

parennoob 13y ago

Your point is well taken. It may not be jealousy per se, but more a need to 'mark out' people who are different in some way. Either way, it is ridiculous that tech 'journalists' feel that they have open license to mock the physical appearance of males in the technology industry like this, because, face it, who's going to stand up on their behalf? It's a thin line between general mud-slinging and actively malicious intentions . The classroom bully also sometimes does it "just for fun", he doesn't have "actively malicious intentions". On the other hand imagine the outcry if an article had described Marissa Mayer in this photo (http://i.huffpost.com/gen/881509/thumbs/r-MARISSA-MAYER-INTERVIEW-large570.jpg http://i.huffpost.com/gen/881509/thumbs/r-MARISSA-MAYER-INTE...) as "having a cartoonish smile, with stringy blond hair, BO, and a surprising number of wrinkles." (note: NOT something I intend to be taken seriously, just an example of generally saying horrible things about a person). People would have been up in arms about "objectifying women in the tech industry and criticizing their looks instead of concentrating on their successes."