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blackbootz  ·  2729 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: This Is Why The American Dream Is Out Of Reach

I don't quite know what to say. You're totally right that there are loads of (unnecessary) cheap shots. The stuff about zero chance of STDs, the warning to women potentially interested in him to be wary since "he'll be holding out for the full package"... it's all unverifiable and irrelevant, though the author wants to make it relevant because zeroing in on these symptoms makes his diagnosis, that Scott is being spoon fed bullshit, more valid. It's a logical fallacy, as if being "right" about some shit makes you right about other shit via the commutative property.

The thing is, I can't help but think he's onto something. Yes, $40k in capital and a quarter equity is downright cute. But I see all the tough love cajoling as helpful, if in a backwards, semi-psychotic way. There's probably more caked-on bullshit than the nugget is worth to most people, but I light up at any advice that's something other than mindless boilerplate.

I think there's something psychologically significant about my love for this sort of style, but I'm at a loss as to what exactly. The cocky self-assurance, the jedi mind-reading skills, the way that he summarizes and--most of the time--completely levels somebody with a casual observation. At first glance, it might seem that I like him because he's mean and therefore cool, but it's not that. A lot of his work actually push me towards self-improvement, towards empathy, pushing me to seek and root out narcissistic tendencies in myself. It's probably because I think he's really smart, and I want to be as smart as him.