It occurs to me that simply declaring “Crocker’s rules apply to me,” does not automatically mean that the people around you that matter will comply with your intention, no matter how sincere you are. If salespeople still think that they can get a commission by flattering you, they’ll tell you that outfit/car/house is just what someone of your amazing qualities needs. Similarly, if your work subordinates think you’ll shoot the messenger of bad news, they’ll think twice about telling you the unvarnished truth even when you specifically ask for it by name.
Right, it’s only useful when you’re talking with someone who wants to tell you the truth but doesn’t like the signaling implications of doing so: it’s a convention for the listener to try and disregard the signaling.
It occurs to me that simply declaring “Crocker’s rules apply to me,” does not automatically mean that the people around you that matter will comply with your intention, no matter how sincere you are. If salespeople still think that they can get a commission by flattering you, they’ll tell you that outfit/car/house is just what someone of your amazing qualities needs. Similarly, if your work subordinates think you’ll shoot the messenger of bad news, they’ll think twice about telling you the unvarnished truth even when you specifically ask for it by name.
Right, it’s only useful when you’re talking with someone who wants to tell you the truth but doesn’t like the signaling implications of doing so: it’s a convention for the listener to try and disregard the signaling.