Late night thought: \u201cDon\u2019t be tacky (unless you know why you\u2019re doing it)\u201d is a surprisingly powerful heuristic for me. Idk if anybody else will relate to it. It\u2019s an aesthetic-grounded approach to peopling, related to \u201cpeople are forgiving of most things if you\u2019re classy\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It\u2019s kind of circular reasoning though. How do you even begin to explain what tacky is? The dictionary is useless here.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It\u2019s kind of like <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201crule 1: be attractive
rule 2: don\u2019t be unattractive\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But I find it to be a very refreshing way of reframing things. Let me try to explain, and I\u2019m probably wrong, but hell: <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Aesthetics (or something close to it) might the fundamental currency of social capital<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Generally,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Good aesthetics = gain capital<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Tacky = lose capital<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Because different groups have different ideas of what good aesthetics are, what is aesthetic here is tacky there. That\u2019s just how it is, you can\u2019t escape this. But simply knowing this reality lets you play the game at a higher level than most people (who play by mimicking others)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Of course, at a meta level, all aesthetics are made up. Welcome to social reality!! The fact that money and laws and nations are all fictions does not<\/em> change the fact that you can\u2019t opt out; you will be evicted and jailed and pwned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I think this is why I have always had a background fascination with fashion<\/a>. Everything is fashion, everything is showbiz. You cannot opt out of this game so you might as well get good at it. 48 laws of fashion<\/p>\n\n\n\n Being fashionable does not guarantee you a fulfilling life; but it spares you the indignity of being ostracised by humans. IMO fashion is a vehicle of persuasion, it\u2019s proof-of-work that you are sensitive to the interests and tastes of others<\/p>\n\n\n\n be fashionable, the world is not kind to those who are tacky.<\/p>\n\n\n\n To be clear, I am not at all gleeful that the world is this way. It is what it is.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Fashion is a great servant but a terrible master.<\/p>\n\n\n\n At this point you have to know yourself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For some people a life yoked to a terrible master can be deeply fulfilling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Just make sure that, if that\u2019s you, that you chose that life for yourself and weren\u2019t kicked around into it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I haven\u2019t yet gotten to the thought I actually wanted to share: When you see a take that you dislike, framing it as \u201cthat\u2019s so tacky\u201d is strangely liberating for me, anyway I think it has to do with the simplicity of it. Bad takes are tacky. You don\u2019t really need to elaborate<\/p>\n\n\n\n Getting overly worked up by someone else\u2019s tacky bad take is also tacky You see where I\u2019m going with this? Which isn\u2019t to say you should excuse cruelty or injustice But tackiness can be recognised & avoided while you focus on what matters you Ok night! May ur aesthetics shine<\/p>\n\n\n\n