[neuroplots]

It’s something I realized a long time ago about humans. Resources and opportunities go where they are least needed. Want high social status? Your best bet is to need absolutely nothing from anyone.

Coolness, in its original sense, is about never caring too much because you will never need to. People are drawn to what doesn’t care about them; they assume the response they get will be objective.

[GauntletWizard]

This makes a ton of evolutionary sense. Success begets success. Those that don't need outside help are successful; those that cooperate and build on it are more successful. Unfortunately, it also leads to local maxima- those that are good at gathering from neighbors and happen to have good neighbors reach highest success, regardless of their own intrinsic ability.

Neither "Attempt to split success equally so everyone gets the same results" nor "Give all the resources to those that have the most" are good ways to run a society, or good long term evolutionary strategies.

[wredcoll]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Million_Pound_Bank_Note

> Two very rich and eccentric brothers spot him and give him an envelope with no information. Seeing money inside the envelope, Henry immediately heads for a cheap dining house and eats a meal; afterward, he discovers that the money is a single bank note for one million pounds sterling, the equivalent of $5 million in United States currency. Without knowing it at the time, Henry has become the subject of a £20,000 bet between the brothers. One believes that the mere possession of the bank note can enable a person to survive even with no other means of support, while the other feels that the holder will be unable to use it without drawing the authorities' suspicions.

[gsf_emergency_2]

Case study clip from The Young Pope

("Hyperbole in reverse")

https://youtu.be/hY8C3cIMR4o