These 3 types can blur, though they are all mutually exclusive re strict “pay your dues” people.
For example you can be both a trustee and a clever rule hacker
But useful to consider the 3 pure types: hacker lottery winner, failson grifter
Conversation
So that’s the 4 pure archetypes of any culture war: dues-payer, hacker, lottery winner, failson grifter. Eigenvectors. You can usually decompose any individual along these 4, after stripping away layers of denial, rationalization, guilt, projection, self-mythologizing etc
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I should develop this into a calculus
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Example of a calculus pattern: failsons full of moral self-doubt/guilt larping an undemanding dues paying career to ally with those paying much bigger dues and enjoying much firmer moral high ground. A kind of moral birging.
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If I write up this theory, gonna steal this mapping to the Beatles. Though it sounds slightly unfair to McCartney.
Quote Tweet
I'm all 4
and most artists have to be all 4
Also
Lennon= Hacker
McCartney=Fail-son Grifter
Harrison=Dues payer
Ringo=Lottery winner twitter.com/vgr/status/147…
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The narrative is shaped most strongly by the failson grifters. Failchild grifter rather. This role is very gender balanced. The other 2 unfair ones often have a male bias while the dues crowd varies war to war.
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The failchildten tend to distribute about evenly into allying with one of the other 3 camps.
History is written by the failchildren. At least in the short term when it’s fresh and full of alpha. In the long term only dues-paying historians care.
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Possibly because they’re the only ones who can’t spin their outcomes with a self-serving narrative.
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Dues-paying success can be spun as a justice-served tale
Skilled hacking can be spun as heroism
Dumb luck needs no apology or justification, just grace in carrying yourself and some generosity in sharing
Unearned privilege though… no good way to spin that
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You put little ornaments and rituals and titles on it. Seems to work out well enough.
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Sure, but look at the world around you. Getting outside of "the circle" needs skilled hacking, dumb luck, or you-know-what. Paying your dues ain't gonna cut it.
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