Why Simple Answers Are So Hard to Kill
A stereotype has several advantages over a good model. It is short, it does not require you to specify the country, the generation, the social class and the design of…
Jealous Means He Loves You?
Jealousy is always born with love, but it does not always die with it. — François de La Rochefoucauld If future archaeologists reconstructed our civilization from romantic films alone, they…
Labour without a table of ranks
Status culture splits work into prestigious mental labour and simple physical labour. Such a table says little about usefulness, responsibility and skill — but it explains nicely why some people…
Getting Acquainted Without an Interrogation
At a first meeting you want to work out quickly who is in front of you. Where the person grew up, what they do, what interests them, why they chose…
Roles and Face
The advice “be yourself” assumes there is one final version stored inside a person, and that presenting it honestly to the world is enough. Society demands this authenticity and punishes…
Your own goal
Society hands out ready-made routes: a good education, the right career, a place of your own, a family by the appointed date. Such a goal is convenient because it spares…