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Contrary to this, I find myself envious of a person who can dress down another in a flagrant and creative way.

If I got dissed in such a hyperbolic way from a boss that was paying me, I would leave.

In a situation where I've toiled in a position of importance in a project I work on in my free time, and I screwed up, I think I'd be hurt if I was dismissed lightly and without creative ire. I mean, I want to know that if I screwed up, I screwed up enough for someone to admonish me creatively, since there isn't any method of management. Your tool is primarily shame, you can't suspend someone without pay from a mailing list.



I can't imagine using shame as my primary motivator for improving my work.


Well, presumably a job well done is the primary motivation, or perhaps the recognition of your peers. It is only when you have previously achieved importance and are now in a position to have face to lose; here is where shame can come into play.

Constructive criticism is helpful and should always be the first stop on the train. But if you should already know better, or that ground has already been well-trodden, then it just sounds patronizing. This is where being told to shape the fuck up is the kind of message I would expect to receive.

What would be even worse is being ignored or shunned.


You aren't Jewish, are you?




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