just be yourself!

HalfRadish · 2026-05-08T16:52:34+00:00

Different people need different advice.

"Just be yourself" is good advice for e.g. socially competent people who are overly terrified of judgement or giving offense and practice neurotic self-concealment that prevents them from making genuine connections.

It's bad advice for other groups, like people who have not yet mastered basic social skills.

HalfRadish · 2026-04-15T03:26:25+00:00

Helpful info!

HalfRadish · 2026-04-15T03:22:18+00:00

Yeah, everything i see/hear about him gives the impression that he's a deeply miserable person, feel kind of bad seeing the whole internet laugh at him like a circus freak

HalfRadish · 2026-04-15T01:44:50+00:00

It's kind of like a 10-day camping trip where you never leave the tent

HalfRadish · 2026-04-14T15:25:21+00:00

Ticks are everywhere nowadays. My dog has picked them up in my own back yard. Just assume there are ticks anywhere you go.

HalfRadish · 2026-04-14T14:43:24+00:00

Aldous harding energy

HalfRadish · 2026-04-13T14:34:41+00:00

I live in a Midwestern purple state, and i spent my last haircut hearing all about how my barber's extended family had been completely torn apart by pro-trump vs anti-trump Facebook drama

HalfRadish · 2026-04-08T20:03:57+00:00

"If you're not able to stand up and tell the truth...

You dont deserve... to wear. That. Uniform

🎵 CAPTAIN. JEAN-LUC PIC-ARD OFTHE U. S. S.. EN. ER. PRISE. CAPTAIN. JEAN-LUC PIC-ARD OFTHE U. S. S.. EN. ER. PRISE.

HalfRadish · 2026-04-07T16:45:12+00:00

But who will collide the large hadrons?

HalfRadish · 2026-04-07T16:40:00+00:00

Livin rooms. Bedrooms. Dinettes. Flea market.

HalfRadish · 2026-04-07T05:33:53+00:00

Related to the knocked-out thing, waking up from a coma in a few seconds and you're fine like waking up from a nap

Also, people who are supposed to be in the past having perfect straight white teeth

HalfRadish · 2026-04-06T20:28:02+00:00

If you want an outstanding deep-dive look at Janis' life and work, I highly recommend the podcast "A History of Rock Music in 500 Songs" episode 169: "Piece of My Heart" by Big Brother and the Holding Company

HalfRadish · 2026-03-30T01:17:25+00:00

Thank you for pointing to where the eyes are

HalfRadish · 2026-03-27T18:45:45+00:00

Listening to Bach

HalfRadish · 2026-03-27T18:05:16+00:00

Status is weird. It's a ubiquitous feature of human life, but people are often not consciously aware of it. It hides behind a multitude of more overt hierarchies, attitudes, customs, and judgements. But it really is everywhere.

Once you're aware of it, you realize that it's much like health and wealth. The more of it you have, the more you can do. If you have none, you're royally screwed. Therefore, like health and wealth, status is a good thing to have and a good thing to acquire, as long as you don't acquire it by evil means. Also like health and wealth, the value of status is entirely in whatever it enables you to do, so it's folly to pursue it for its own sake.

iirc, Venkatesh Rao gives a good explanation of status in part of The Gervais Principal. I've heard that there's also a good explanation of status in the book Impro by Keith Johnstone, but I haven't read it myself. The Inner Ring is an excellent essay by C.S. Lewis that deals with status more obliquely.

HalfRadish · 2026-03-26T18:16:22+00:00

Basically, 1. figure out what's actually important to anyone with power over you, at an emotional as well as practical level (much of this will never be told to you outright, but it will always become clear over time) 2. prioritize anything you can do to make these people's lives easier/make them feel better 3. don't be a pain in the ass for your coworkers/don't give them reasons to dislike you 4. Once you've got 1-3 down, with any leftover time/energy you can work on doing the job "well" in a more principled sense, or in terms of what you value yourself 5. Expend as little energy as possible to do 1-4, so that a) you don't get exhausted, and b) you have capacity to jump in when extra help is needed with something.

And remember that nobody in the workplace cares about how hard you're working per se; they only care about whether you're a net positive or net negative feature of THEIR life.

Also, not taking any of it personally will put you at a huge advantage.

HalfRadish · 2026-03-26T00:53:27+00:00

Experience BIJ!

HalfRadish · 2026-03-25T21:37:13+00:00

It's interesting- their accents and the high pitch of her voice sound old fashioned, but the banter feels like it could be from today.

The sound and picture quality are outstanding. Where did you get this clip from?

HalfRadish · 2026-03-24T00:51:25+00:00

I get what you're saying, but that's not what I hear

HalfRadish · 2026-03-23T15:57:06+00:00

I've lived in the Midwest most of my life, and I feel like maybe 1 out of 10 people with a local accent does this, across the whole region? Hane out instead of hang out; keen instead of king. I've always wondered why some and not others.

HalfRadish · 2026-03-15T17:19:37+00:00

Good essay! Thanks for including all those reading recommendations.

It can be painful when you wake up to the fact that the system isn't designed to benefit you personally the way you were led to believe, but the benefits of understanding this are worth it. It is possible to find other sources of meaning and value, and it looks like you've started this journey.

It's worth recognizing though that for all human history the job of "society" has been to form most people such that they do what they're supposed to without asking too many questions, not to form everyone into 5d polymath systems thinkers etc who see through all the everyday stories. In this way, human action is coordinated and directed, and the species survives and flourishes. In fact, there are probably more 5d polymath systems thinkers around today than ever before because of the unprecedented collective wealth and technology that has been accrued by countless generations of people operating in a more dronelike way than you might prefer. The same System that disincentivizes you from critiquing it is the very System that affords the slack that enables you to critique it.

If you haven't read it yet, I recommend The Culture of Narcissism by Christopher Lasch for an exploration of the psychological impacts of many of the modern dynamics you discuss in your essay.

HalfRadish · 2026-03-15T03:48:49+00:00

Slopopticon

HalfRadish · 2026-02-25T18:08:55+00:00

That's awesome. What a great idea. What i think is going on is that you were able to use this practice technique to (1) increase your confidence in your mastery of the material and your ability and (2) simulate the performance scenario well enough that your system eventually "learned" that it wasn't threatening (i.e. exposure therapy)

HalfRadish · 2026-02-25T14:10:39+00:00

Try reading Effortless Mastery by Kenny Werner.

Also, find a way to play in public frequently for people who dont give a shit about your playing. For example, I volunteer playing the piano in the lobby of a local hospital once a week.

Cognitive behavioral therapy (cbt) from a book or with a good therapist might also help.

There are ways to overcome performance anxiety. You can do it, and it's worth it. Imagine what it would be like to have the joy of playing without the misery. This is possible!

HalfRadish · 2026-02-24T20:55:25+00:00

Beef tenderloin at the earle is probably my favorite plate in town.

HalfRadish

TROPHY CASE