And your point is interesting. I believe my desire to ride a motorcycle stems from the motorcycle being seen as a cultural symbol of badassity as opposed from the inherent danger of riding a motorcycle. And, while badassity may coincide with danger, the two need not be correlated.
For example, I view skydiving as a symbol of badassity, but skydiving in relation to driving an automobile (generally not very badass) is quite safe.
I wonder if I am unusual in this respect, and perhaps it is more common to be attracted to motorcycling precisely because of the danger.
At least with regards to my own notions of “badass,” I think this is only sometimes true. I do not think it is considered badass to watch a horror film, yet there is substantial S1 perceived risk.
X’s perception of Y’s badassity is about X’s S1 perception of Y’s risk.
If I watch a horror movie, it may feel risky to me but it won’t to you, so you won’t see me as a badass.
More precisely, X’s perception of Y’s badassity is about X’s S1 perception of the risk Y is knowingly accepting.
So, if I watch a horror movie, the only person who feels any sort of risk or danger is me, and only while I’m watching it. (Maybe for a little while afterwards.) Will this make me feel like a badass? Probably not, because what generates the sense of risk is (so to speak) entering into the movie’s world, and while I’m doing that I’m not attending to my own actions at all.
(I suppose I might seem very very slightly badass for watching something that is predictably going to scare me. Or, if not, I might seem like a wuss if I conspicuously avoid watching the movie.)
I love the Chinese saying!
And your point is interesting. I believe my desire to ride a motorcycle stems from the motorcycle being seen as a cultural symbol of badassity as opposed from the inherent danger of riding a motorcycle. And, while badassity may coincide with danger, the two need not be correlated.
For example, I view skydiving as a symbol of badassity, but skydiving in relation to driving an automobile (generally not very badass) is quite safe.
I wonder if I am unusual in this respect, and perhaps it is more common to be attracted to motorcycling precisely because of the danger.
Badassity is about S1 perceived risk, not actual risk.
At least with regards to my own notions of “badass,” I think this is only sometimes true. I do not think it is considered badass to watch a horror film, yet there is substantial S1 perceived risk.
X’s perception of Y’s badassity is about X’s S1 perception of Y’s risk.
If I watch a horror movie, it may feel risky to me but it won’t to you, so you won’t see me as a badass.
More precisely, X’s perception of Y’s badassity is about X’s S1 perception of the risk Y is knowingly accepting.
So, if I watch a horror movie, the only person who feels any sort of risk or danger is me, and only while I’m watching it. (Maybe for a little while afterwards.) Will this make me feel like a badass? Probably not, because what generates the sense of risk is (so to speak) entering into the movie’s world, and while I’m doing that I’m not attending to my own actions at all.
(I suppose I might seem very very slightly badass for watching something that is predictably going to scare me. Or, if not, I might seem like a wuss if I conspicuously avoid watching the movie.)
Yes! This is what I was gesturing towards. I agree with this.