Comment by alganet

4 days ago

Actual geniuses do not exist.

It's the product of a ritualized society. People select one person, bump that person up, then hit it like a piñata.

If you dress someone like a piñata, people will hit it for the candy inside. One of the ways of doing that is shaming the piñata, like comparing it to an asshole, or portraying it as a weak troubled loser, or sexualizing it.

The article proposes we don't hit piñatas anymore. I agree. Furthermore, we should not make human piñatas in the first place. Let the geniuses and celebrities and leaders fade to normality and cease to exist as a thing.

Of course this implies many of our societal systems are piñata-based. Hierarquies, celebrities, leaders and so on.

I agree that collaboration is a key aspect to solving this issue. It seems, however, that human collaboration is very hard where there are piñatas everywhere. It's hard when kids want to grow up to be piñatas.

I am sorry that many cultures have this ritual so heavily ingrained as part of their whole identites.

> Actual geniuses do not exist.

A genius was one of the Roman house gods lucky dwellers might cohabit with. One is not a genius, rather one has a genius [0].

There were many specialised genii, ones for helping with childcare, one to make great cooking, or loving etc.

A genius channels spiritual/cosmic energy. Creatives who understand genius feel their creative source in a higher power, helped by their genius.

To "have a genius" then, is the most humble expression and acknowledgement that your created work and achievements are not fully your own.

This is a million miles from the modern assholery of the arrogant poseurs and imposters mentioned in TFA.

[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genius_(mythology)

  • Yes, etymologically close to the word gnosis, which means knowledge. To learn and teach is to channel the spirit, etc.

    But words change, myths change, and sometimes you need to shake them off a little bit to encourage a shift in perception.

    Talking about piñatas in this case seemed more appropriate for the problem at hand.