On Sun, 2 Mar 2014, Tim Josling <tim.josling@gmail.com> wrote:
Interesting essay here about contrarianism and its temptations.
TLDR: While ostentatiously displaying socially approved attitudes (especially attitudes approved of by the in-group but not by the wider society) can be a form of status display, refusing to do so can be even more so a status display.
So when most people are craven cowards only the contrarians are brave?
I remember I famer I knew who was so rich he dressed like a hobo (dirty ragged clothes, in the pocket of which he kept a couple of hundred thousand in cash).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Banknotes_of_the_Australian_dollar http://www.scottevest.com/ $200K would be 2000 * $100 notes. That's more than 2KG of banknotes excluding whatever you use to hold them together in bundles. In a single pile that would be over 28cm high if the notes are perfectly flat and stacked tightly. Even if you have Scott clothing you can't fit that in one pocket. When someone who is wealthy is unable to perform basic self-care tasks such as cleaning their clothes then mental illness is the most likely explanation. I read an article about alcoholism which suggested that poor people are more likely to seek treatment because it's easier for them to reach rock bottom. Rich alcoholics (and addicts of any substance) can survive for longer without running out of money or having serious legal problems. Treatment for mental health problems is probably similar, someone who has more money is probably less likely to hit rock bottom from mental illness. -- My Main Blog http://etbe.coker.com.au/ My Documents Blog http://doc.coker.com.au/