3 MINUTE MONDAY

Hi friend,

See me at my London Live Show on Thursday 28th November at the Eventim Apollo - General Tickets still available! https://chriswilliamson.live/london​

Australia Live Shows - Brisbane 6th, Melbourne 8th & Sydney 9th November - General Tickets still available! https://chriswilliamson.live/australia​

I was asked how I gauge the honesty of other creators.

How can I be sure that they’re trustworthy, not audience-captured and creating their work for the right reasons?

I ended up describing a series of questions that I go through in my mind when assessing the legitimacy of other creators’ opinions and their work in general.

I think it’s pretty robust and might be of use to you too. So here we go.

1. When was the last time you heard them change their mind?

If no amount of evidence would change someone’s opinion, then they don’t hold a rational opinion, they hold an ideological belief.

All of the thinkers I respect the least see changing their opinions as tantamount to destruction of their sense of self.

When your ego and your stances have fused so tightly that you can no longer separate them, you will become less and less objective.

If someone doesn’t regularly alter their opinions, they’re either an unserious thinker, or a deity.

2. Do they primarily identify out-groups as a mode of bonding their in-group together?

Straight out of The Charlatan Playbook.

Leaning into tribal biases is a fast-track to getting people on your side.

Humans are naturally super-tribal, so manifesting an enemy group to galvanise everyone to battle against will be superbly effective at encouraging affiliation.

However bonding together over the mutual distaste of an out-group is inherently fragile because everyone is only bonded because the enemy of their enemy is a friend.

And a Purity Spiral will begin where in order to continue to bond the group together, heretics who don’t conform to the in-group ideology will be identified and shamed.

Check whether you love the work of the people you look up to, or if you just hate the people who hate them.

3. How often do they admit mistakes? Genuinely not performatively.

Openness and vulnerability is a costly signal.

It means that the person you’re following cares more about being accurate than seeming perfect.

They’re prepared to identify their own blindspots in service of being honest.

Performative mistake-porn is a tool that smart charlatans can use to pretend that they’re owning up to a mistake but it’s all a smoke screen so people can’t accuse them of being too hubristic.

4. Do they want to hear alternative points of view for reasons other than mocking them?

Related to all of the above.

If their entire body of work is an echo chamber where the only divergent voices are ones that they speak to in order to make them feel silly, galvanise out-group hatred or simply for clickbait, they’re not concerned with the truth.

Not only is it important for your, and their learning, to be exposed to different opinions, but it’s also important to show that you can talk to people who you disagree with without turning it into the sort of slanging match that everyone hates about the internet.

I’m sure there’s other common trends I’ve missed but this seems to be a good start for judging people’s intentions.

It’s also a set of rules I really need to keep aware of myself both as a consumer and a creator - I’m far from perfect.

MODERN WISDOM

I do a podcast where I pretend to have a British accent. You should subscribe on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.
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This week’s upcoming episodes:

Monday.
Ben Shapiro - a great deep dive into the background, motivations, routines and drive behind one of the most influential political commentators in the modern world. Very fun.

Thursday.
Nate Silver - the most sophisticated polling expert in America reveals a fascinating insight into American culture. The most important battle ground topics, how Trump or Kamala win in November and tons more.

Saturday.
Derek Sivers - a philosophical breakdown of counterintuitive psychological traits which are useful but not true. For fans of Morgan Housel, Oliver Burkeman and Alain de Botton.

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THINGS I'VE LEARNED

1.
​Kanye West did secret market research.

“Diplo was asked to help produce Kanye & Jay Z’s ‘Watch The Throne’ album.

When he turned up, the Olson Twins (Mary-Kate and Ashley) were in the studio.

Kanye said: ‘They are my thermometer for what white girls listen to’.” — George Mack

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2.
​The essence of an attractive man.

“A man who is comfortable in his own skin

Knows where he’s going.

And has fun while he’s going there.” — Dr Robert Glover

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3.
​Facebook can fix dating.

The Situationship Epidemic came about due to a lack of need to internally formally commit and outwardly signal unavailability.

Relationship statuses fixed this as it was insulting to have “single” below your profile photo if you were dating someone.

Perhaps Facebook is the answer to The Mating Crisis.

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LIFE HACK

Buy nice bedding.

The sheet covers and pillow cases you have on your bed are the only way your skin interacts with your bedding.

Bamboo Cotton is a game changer and makes getting into bed much more enjoyable.

Silk pillowcases are more expensive but supposedly good for skincare.

Anyway, buy some with a returns policy and try, it improved my sleep a lot.
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Big love,
Chris x

Try my productivity drink Neutonic.
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PS
I got so many beautiful replies to last week's edition. You helped to curb my fear of opening up publicly. Thank you.