Reputation

- you should be aware that social cred is a good that is bought and sold. if you're in a position to buy it, don't get wrapped up in salesmanship and think it's a guaranteed profit; think very hard about whether you really need it or not (like buying a fancy car).

- it seems to me that at least one aspect of an ivy-league education is the loaning of social cred; the school tries to pick students with a good likelihood of repaying the loan by doing something impressive with their lives (which gives the school more cred, which then increases demand for that school). in return the students are supposed to gain useful contacts and have an easier time impressing potential employers.

- the problem is that the social cred of these institutions can create an incentive to make more money off the social cred at the risk of diluting it; it's like a drug dealer who's faced with the temptation of cutting his supply (diluting it with other stuff). i think this is what's happening with education (college, law school, etc.); you have institutions making money by selling degrees to applicants who are less likely to add to the social cred of the institution. even if there are a larger total number of high achievers with the expanded institution, if they make up a smaller percentage of the total student body then the market value (social cred) of the degree may diminish over time. in a word: it's inflation.

- a LOT of people/institutions in the world deal in and rely on social cred.
- ex1: one of the perks of being a firefighter/soldier/lawyer is the social cred it sometimes conveys. if it was widely thought that those professions were on par with being a janitor i'd predict you'd see a rise in wages or a drop in supply of talent (i.e. something to compensate).
- ex2: every time you see a famous face in some advertisement, you're seeing that person selling the use of their social cred to that company. once you start making your money or feeling good about yourself that way it becomes very important to maintain your image, which can limit your freedom (e.g. you can't be honest and say XYZ in an interview b/c it could hurt your image).

- being considered "smart" or a "genius" simply reflects a trade of time for proficiency at certain activities that will impress certain people. here's einstein saying the same thing: "Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid." in other words, most people spend their time watching TV or hanging out with friends, so they are gaining proficiency at being able to recall details of certain TV shows or certain events that they lived through with their friends. people who are called "geniuses" or "smart" just spent a heck of a lot more time on a single highly-regarded activity than most other people do.