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Comment by engendered | Hacker News Reader

This sort of post seems to do well on HN, so to offer a bit of criticism I'd like to posit that often they seem to be a thin veneer over humble bragging.

e.g. I don't know what I'm doing, but then neither does anyone else but I am stating it so therefore I'm actually better than them and I have impostor syndrome so that actually makes me better at what I do than you, and everyone who says they know what they're doing suffers from the Dunning–Kruger effect, etc.

This has become a bit of a meme -- the whole "I'm better because I claim to be worse" bit.

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So does this mean that we need to come full circle and become worse and being better due to claiming to feel worse?

I get where you are coming from, but I think the best point in this somewhat rambly essay is that it is fine to come out and talk about how to deal with these odd mental effects, especially when they are keeping us from getting work done.

> So does this mean that we need to come full circle and become worse and being better due to claiming to feel worse?

Usually when people begin kicking up a dust, the solution is to stop kicking– in this case I think that means to avoid making claims, and focus instead on doing great work!

"it is fine to come out and talk about how to deal with these odd mental effects"

When they are sincere, sure. But increasingly they are becoming like the thin girl forever talking about how she feels fat (or, I suppose, the not thin girl declaring that anyone thinner is anorexic). The Dunning–Kruger thing is referenced so frequently on here and other technology sites that it is like the attempt at a great equalizer: People aren't better than me, and the only way they can think they are is the Dunning–Kruger effect.

It is some sort of race to the bottom / lowest common denominator equalization thing. I'm not saying that the feeling of inadequacy at times isn't real, but it is becoming a badge and measure of superiority.

If I state that I feel lost sometimes or that I have impostor syndrome it doesn't in any way imply that I'm better. You're just attacking people for showing vulnerability.

>You're just attacking people for showing vulnerability.

These missives never simply say "sometimes I feel like an impostor". They invariably mention the whole Dunning-Kruger effect, and invariably claim that this self-doubt is because one has achieved such heights of knowledge that they've gained full awareness of all the things they don't know. It always turns this so-called vulnerability into some sort of heightened awareness.

I'm not "attacking" anyone in any case. I'm pointing out that this is a bit of a trend right now to show ones enlightenment by claiming one's vulnerability.

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Or maybe your value/worth as a developer is measured by what you achieve/what you do, and not by constantly trying to jockey relative to everyone else? The constant procession of "PR for why I'm actually better than everyone else" thing is transparent, yet HN falls for it day after day.

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