Thread by @owenbroadcast

i know this is the new “joke” / talking point that everyone is saying but the underlying psychology the joke rests on is interesting. it presumes that one cares what random people you pass on the street or in the supermarket assume your ideology or worldview to be.

https://twitter.com/davidhogg111/status/1393191013808754688

this is one of the more interesting subtle divides i have noticed between people that cuts surprisingly deep. some people are really actually profoundly aware of what others might think of them, especially random people, it almost physically assails them. it is “real” to them.

the joke wouldnt work the other way because if wearing some item i was already wearing might make random people on the street think i had a different worldview i wouldnt care. why would i? in my experience this is intrinsic, you cant change it, reason out of it, its “set” in you.

my most concrete example of this is (i have mentioned this story before because its a perfect example), i knew a woman who had to get some form at a desk from a bureaucratic institution. we’re in the car talking about it, and im like, just go to the desk + ask about this form ...

and she was worried about it, because she knew that she had an atypical case, and the person at the desk would think she was at the wrong desk, and would act like she was stupid, presuming her to be the misinformed one, even though she knew she was correct (complex situation).

and im like, “who cares. youre correct. it doesnt matter what they think, you know youre right”. but thats not how it was in her mind, the fact that someone else would be treating her like an idiot had an actual effect, that she wanted to avoid, even though she knew she was right

ever since then i have noticed this divide in people. to some the experience of being assessed by others is an actual almost physical experience that affects them regardless of the reality of the situation. thats what the joke rests on, the pain and psychological discomfort there

(presumably this isnt entierly pathological because then you have idiots at the far end of the spectrum on the other side who were like, yeah everyone says im stupid for eating these poison berries but im gonna try it anyway, maybe theyre wrong. thats me, hello.)