polymathwannabe comments on Dark Arts: Defense in Reputational Warfare - Less Wrong Discussion
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No.
Thirty years ago, you had to be fairly skilled to use a perceived weakness to your advantage, using it to direct/anticipate and redirect. Today, using weakness as a weapon is a standard item in the average person's social toolkit, and the society we live in expects weakness to be catered to.
What exactly changed in these last 30 years that made weaknesses function differently?
Society and technology. Somebody perceived as "punching down" in public is liable to be attacked en masse via social media, which makes it undesirable to do so.
This is not to say that this makes you invulnerable, but it provides a pretty strong disincentive for those who might be inclined to attack on that basis.