Mencius Moldbugman

15/ Edward Dutton (@jollyheretic) and Bruce Charlton in their book The Genius Famine talk about the differences between “The Head Girl” and “The Genius”. The genius is typically a high-IQ male loner with low social agreeableness but who is talented or compulsive in one area.pic.twitter.com/8cj50ikPm5

16/ The Head Girl is your average office female. An all-rounder with high social agreeableness and who cares deeply about what others think of her. The Head Girl can never be a creative genius because she only does what other people want by the standards they most value.pic.twitter.com/Xd6b3vVl44

17/ “She will work harder and at a higher standard in doing whatever it is that social pressure tells her to do - and she will do this by whatever social standards prevail, only more thoroughly.” Stationery is this. It allows the Head Girl’s work to be “seen” by others.pic.twitter.com/poI46jbRMv

18/ The bright colours of marker pens and Post-Its show those around her that she is “working” when really she isn’t. Gathering around a flipchart and writing words in bubbles is really about social validation and intra-group cohesion building. Not work.pic.twitter.com/CqVr4o694j

19/ The lone genius meanwhile doesn’t care about social validation so quietly grinds away without the need of stationery to announce his work. This is how geniuses create great work. This is how good workers get things done. This is why the woman with 5,000 pens is useless.pic.twitter.com/D2Jo46ztD3

20/ All the above said, I warn anyone reading this about confronting women at work over their Obsessive Stationery Disorder. I have noticed that the compulsion can run so deep in some that criticism of their stationery is almost like a criticism of their soul or person.pic.twitter.com/OeALCjVwD1

21/ This is female bugmanism. Just as the male bugman builds his identity around his nerdy Funko Pop bobbleheads, the bugwoman sees stationery as an extension of her very identity. Calling her collection of Post-Its “excessive” is tantamount to saying she has an ugly face.pic.twitter.com/BPIXWeomAp

22/ If you’re a manager, understand the warning signs of Obsessive Stationery Disorder and delegate around those people who exhibit the symptoms. Look out for excessive stationery in interviews. Consider asking screening questions about how many ring binders they own.pic.twitter.com/0i2ejLlwEY