Blueberry comments on Cryonics Wants To Be Big - Less Wrong

28 Post author: lsparrish 05 July 2010 07:50AM

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Comment author: Blueberry 06 July 2010 08:26:32PM 3 points [-]

Vibrams with a suit are generally the best attire for most formal situations in my experience.

Ew. I really hope no one seriously does that. Especially in a courtroom.

Comment author: MichaelVassar 15 July 2010 03:57:05PM *  0 points [-]

Of course not in a courtroom. That's not "most formal situations" but rather almost literally a contest to publicly display willingness to conform to elite norms and generally to submit.

Comment author: Blueberry 16 July 2010 05:20:04PM 3 points [-]

Can you elaborate on this? It seems obviously wrong to me.

I also don't understand how wearing Vibrams with a suit to a formal occasion signals anything but lack of fashion sense and being unaware of social norms. I mean, sure, if you're in charge, you can wear whatever you want, but if you're not in charge, someone seeing you wear footwear that doesn't go with the clothes will just think you don't know how to dress appropriately.

Comment author: MichaelVassar 17 July 2010 01:26:58AM 1 point [-]

It's a matter of how far you push it. It wouldn't belong at a funeral or an opera, but it works well in any situation where a suit would be desirable but not close to mandatory. You want to signal awareness but lack of fear, not insensitivity. Vibrams aren't something that someone could wear by mistake, or out of carelessness. Pushing things somewhat farther, you could be formally dressed with a very conspicuous fake tattoo.

Comment author: NancyLebovitz 17 July 2010 09:27:55AM 1 point [-]

I'm wondering how much the vibrams + business suit works because you're dealing with geeks, so that they're responsive to a weird/cool/potentially practical combination-- something which I don't think would go over well with mainstream bankers.

Comment author: MichaelVassar 17 July 2010 11:18:40PM 1 point [-]

It works with a variety of types, not just geeks, as do the fake tattoos. It might not work with heirarchy climbing types, especially with the fearful types who climb a little way up a heirarchy and then sit there unable to go further, but I think its frequently a mistake to have anything to do with such people anyway except when absolutely necessary. You can't influence their behavior with ideas, friendship or passion, only with fear of being ostracized or (to a much lesser extent) penalized.