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Two verses from Cat Steven’s classic "Hard Headed Woman":
I know a lot of fancy dancers,
people who can glide you on a floor,
They move so smooth but have no answers.
When you ask Why’d you come here for?
I don’t know Why?I know many fine feathered friends
but their friendliness depends on how you do.
They know many sure fired ways
to find out the one who pays
and how you do.
Many people seem at first glance to be primarily interested in ideas, but if you look closely you will start to see little clues that they are more interested in social status than it seemed. For example, they attend more than you would expect to boring well-funded topics, relative to fascinating orphan topics, to bad arguments by well-known people, relative to good arguments by obscure people, and to attention for their insights, relative to generating theirs or reading others’. The more successful a group, the more of them that tend to be such "fine feathered friends." To me, this is the main downside of associating with the successful.
Looking for a Hard-Headed Blogger
Looking for a Hard-Headed Blogger
Sir. You will not find any. Bloging is the think tank. we blog to put our thought to others and think what they think of our thoughts while you in turn churn up the best and put this in your white paper or blue papers format and sell this to all.Is this fair?
I thank you.
Firozali A.Mulla MBA PhDP.O.Box 6044Dar-Es-SalaamTanzaniaEast Africa.
William, I agree these traits are common at all levels; but it is my weak impression that they are more common to stronger degrees at higher levels.
Paul, yes even someone only interested in ideas would find an instrumental value in income and status. But such people could be distinguished by their showing less interest in income and status.
Michael, yes nice example, and nice article by Graham.
Nathan, the more likely bias of mine would be to not appreciate the kinds of status I may acheive by pursuing ideas my way.