This is why we have the saying that “the people that were cool in high school never end up all that cool later in life.” The cool kids at that age were just really good at imitating, which was the currency of coolness then. Since everyone was floating in a sea of imitation, no one appreciated individuality. The opposite in fact: they punished it.... See more

There isn‘t a clean way to get around the idea that personal expression is always at least in part performative. Expression is partly fun because it’s performative.

It’s also not like this type of behavior is a new thing. There has always been the type of person who is performative of their own interests or pursues their work because of the kind of... See more