why do they talk like this? like, i'm enough of a stupid asshole that i understand what they're saying, but what does it do for them to rp a dr who villain with a thesaurus? if you read books by smart people, or even by stupid people with degrees, this isn't a normal mode of expression. do they actually think that everything is Just Like Computers or is it a pretense? and if they do think that, why are they universally so stupid about computer things? successful, talented, and intelligent software devs, even if they happen to have reactionary politics, don't act like this. it's unique to the ssc/miri/effective altruism perverts.
They have a vision of themselves as STEM geniuses, even though many of them have no real background in science or higher math. Because they think those are the only things that could possibly matter, it's important that they signal that they know lots and lots about them, even if that knowledge is really shaky and not very sophisticated or deep. Using phrases like this is a kind of in-group signaling.
why do they talk like this? like, i'm enough of a stupid asshole that i understand what they're saying, but what does it do for them to rp a dr who villain with a thesaurus? if you read books by smart people, or even by stupid people with degrees, this isn't a normal mode of expression. do they actually think that everything is Just Like Computers or is it a pretense? and if they do think that, why are they universally so stupid about computer things? successful, talented, and intelligent software devs, even if they happen to have reactionary politics, don't act like this. it's unique to the ssc/miri/effective altruism perverts.
Marvel, the BBC Sherlock show and other pop culture representations of intelligence being demonstrated through overly verbose soliloquies.
Because it works and it works well. Most people aren't us
They have a vision of themselves as STEM geniuses, even though many of them have no real background in science or higher math. Because they think those are the only things that could possibly matter, it's important that they signal that they know lots and lots about them, even if that knowledge is really shaky and not very sophisticated or deep. Using phrases like this is a kind of in-group signaling.