"Geeks, MOPs, and sociopaths in subculture evolution" (2015)
[A]s soon as subcultures start getting really interesting, they get invaded by muggles, who ruin them. Subcultures have a predictable lifecycle, in which popularity causes death. Eventually—around 2000—everyone understood this, and gave up hoping some subculture could somehow escape this dynamic.... The muggles who invade and ruin subcultures come in two distinct flavors, mops and sociopaths, playing very different roles. This insight was influenced by Venkatesh Rao’s Gervais Principle,[1] an analysis of workplace dynamics. Rao’s theory is hideous, insightful nihilism; I recommend it.... The sociopaths ... work out how to monetize mops—which the fanatics were never good at. With better publicity materials, the addition of a light show, and new, more crowd-friendly product, admission fees go up tenfold, and mops are willing to pay.
<https://meaningness.com/geeks-mops-sociopaths>
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Notes:
1. <https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00F9IV64W/?tag=meaningness-20>