I think that the emphasis on status here is misplaced. Here’s an analogy:
Imagine that you, dear reader, are very smart, and when you get into conversations about intellectual topics, people almost always say “Wow, you’re smart,” based on superficial indicators, and seem impressed. Now imagine that you meet someone who reacts differently: they take it for granted that you’re smart, and actually try to engage with you intellectually, rather than being awed and amazed by your intellect.
Can you see that your reaction might be very different? You might be more likely to like and be interested in talking to this person, intrigued that they weren’t so easily won over, and possibly a little motivated to prove your intelligence to them.
That’s what’s going on in the example with attractive girls, except with looks and sexuality rather than intelligence. It’s less of a “Oh wow you have high status” reaction on the girl’s part, and more of “Hey, finally someone who isn’t a pushover just cause I’m hot. He might actually be fun to talk to.” This is communicated all the time with little things like body language, the way you turn to look at someone, the way you stand, and how you speak. It usually isn’t as direct as “Will you buy me a drink?”
Yes, I like this analogy between intellectual interaction and social (status) interaction. Both types of interaction have “I’ll push you until you stop me” behavior, that would be considered offensive or attacking if it was manifested in the other form of interaction.
A common mode of interaction for intellectuals is to argue for positions that you aren’t sure of in order to figure out if they believe in, or even to argue for positions that they don’t believe just to play devil’s advocate. These debate styles push against people, expecting them to push back, analogous to the social styles of many neurotypical extraverts.
Just as introverts on the autistic spectrum hate it when neurotypical extraverts try to turn everything into a status game, neurotypical extraverts hate it when autistic spectrum introverts try to turn everything into a debate.
In a group of neurotypical extraverts, saying something like “you’re such a dork” to someone else is not necessarily considered rude or an attack. They expect the other person to handle it and fire back. Likewise, in a group of autistic spectrum introverts, saying something like “you’re wrong” is not necessarily considered rude or an attack. They expect the other person to be able to handle it, and either defend or concede their position.
Both groups have different norms for showing assertiveness, and an assertiveness display in one group could be considered an attack if it was performed in the other group.
In intellectual circles, it often seems to be considered acceptable to communicate intellectual disagreement in an assertive way, the assumption being that everyone knows that disagreement isn’t personal. This communication style jars some intellectuals, and it enjoyed by others. Non-intellectual people universally hate this communication style.
I think that the emphasis on status here is misplaced. Here’s an analogy:
Imagine that you, dear reader, are very smart, and when you get into conversations about intellectual topics, people almost always say “Wow, you’re smart,” based on superficial indicators, and seem impressed. Now imagine that you meet someone who reacts differently: they take it for granted that you’re smart, and actually try to engage with you intellectually, rather than being awed and amazed by your intellect.
Can you see that your reaction might be very different? You might be more likely to like and be interested in talking to this person, intrigued that they weren’t so easily won over, and possibly a little motivated to prove your intelligence to them.
That’s what’s going on in the example with attractive girls, except with looks and sexuality rather than intelligence. It’s less of a “Oh wow you have high status” reaction on the girl’s part, and more of “Hey, finally someone who isn’t a pushover just cause I’m hot. He might actually be fun to talk to.” This is communicated all the time with little things like body language, the way you turn to look at someone, the way you stand, and how you speak. It usually isn’t as direct as “Will you buy me a drink?”
Yes, I like this analogy between intellectual interaction and social (status) interaction. Both types of interaction have “I’ll push you until you stop me” behavior, that would be considered offensive or attacking if it was manifested in the other form of interaction.
A common mode of interaction for intellectuals is to argue for positions that you aren’t sure of in order to figure out if they believe in, or even to argue for positions that they don’t believe just to play devil’s advocate. These debate styles push against people, expecting them to push back, analogous to the social styles of many neurotypical extraverts.
Just as introverts on the autistic spectrum hate it when neurotypical extraverts try to turn everything into a status game, neurotypical extraverts hate it when autistic spectrum introverts try to turn everything into a debate.
In a group of neurotypical extraverts, saying something like “you’re such a dork” to someone else is not necessarily considered rude or an attack. They expect the other person to handle it and fire back. Likewise, in a group of autistic spectrum introverts, saying something like “you’re wrong” is not necessarily considered rude or an attack. They expect the other person to be able to handle it, and either defend or concede their position.
Both groups have different norms for showing assertiveness, and an assertiveness display in one group could be considered an attack if it was performed in the other group.
Good point about “you’re wrong,” which has unnerved me a few times. Also, especially on this site: “you’re unethical” or “that’s unethical.”
In intellectual circles, it often seems to be considered acceptable to communicate intellectual disagreement in an assertive way, the assumption being that everyone knows that disagreement isn’t personal. This communication style jars some intellectuals, and it enjoyed by others. Non-intellectual people universally hate this communication style.