Mimetic bios

Looking at things through the mimetic lens (really this book about Girard that I’m reading is fascinating), I’m starting to see mimetic desire everywhere.

I’ll quote Dave Rupert referencing an article from Greg Storey:

Am I supposed to be swept away in your brilliance because you collected a paycheck at these places? Or perhaps you are trying to impress us with your ability to get hired (Interviewing 100%)? Why are you further perpetuating the myth that just because you worked at [insert company name here] means you have better skills and can get to better outcomes?

Who are you? What defines you? Here’s a hint: It’s not where you work. And it’s most certainly not your career. Anyone who thinks differently is on not on the right path. If you want to sum up who you are, then focus on your values, principles, skills, and outcomes.

The Twitter thread adds another layer:

I noticed a shift some years ago at meetups where the question shifted from “what do you do?” to “where have you worked?” and Twitter bios became micro-résumés.

I notice that in the content community just saying I’m a content designer with a role that’s really heavy in information architecture isn’t enough. I always get asked where I work. Then they keep prodding when I say a small manufacturing company that nobody’s ever heard of.