Human Peacocking's definitions

Veneer Career

The socially respectable and seemingly profitable job or career that a wealthy person claims to have to hide the fact that they don't really work or make money and instead coast off their savings, inheritance, or other handouts.

For example someone might claim to be a 'designer' though no one buys anything they make and they live off their parents, or someone might say they're an 'investor' but they don't invest any money or do anything to make profit.

Such claimed careers and jobs give status and recognition to someone who would otherwise be classified as unemployed or idle.

He claims he's an investor but that's just his veneer career, he just comes from a rich family and spends his parents money but doesn't do anything otherwise. His sister's veneer clothing is a handbag line she puts out which has 2 customers: her parents.

by Human Peacocking December 12, 2024

Victim brag

To publicly celebrate, highlight, brag about how one (or one's group) was victimized by others.

The greater the harm to the victim, the more notable the brag. The more perpetrators who did the harm, the more notable the brag.

There's john victim bragging again about how his teachers in high school wronged him by giving him tests that were too hard!

by Human Peacocking May 19, 2023

Hustle Brag

(verb)
To brag about the high amount of effort that one puts into an activity
To emphasize that you work harder than other people, sacrifice while others are consuming, and otherwise have put in more effort, likely leading to well deserved or earned success.

He wrote some hustle bragging post on linked-in about he only sleeps 3 hours a day and works the rest

by Human Peacocking April 18, 2023

Tenure brag

When someone highlights how long they have been doing something (years playing a sport, years working in a company, years living in a neighborhood, years sober, overall age, etc). This is type of brag or showing off, highlighting the speaker's status based on the amount of time they've been around

There goes Thomas tenure bragging again about how he's been sober longer than anyone else at the party!

by Human Peacocking May 13, 2023

Stigma brag

To brag, highlight, or bring attention to something that is stigmatized, lowly, common, or otherwise commonly unworthy of popular status. Examples include bragging about failures, past trauma, illnessed, hardships, etc.

There goes that super rich politician stigma bragging about how hard his childhood was in order to get further attention & sympathy.

by Human Peacocking May 11, 2023

Neuro-Bullshit

Reference to some neurological study or brain imaging study or MRI study or 'the brain points light up here' study which has value implications about something super complex, but is used by a speaker to baffle their audience, claim expertise, and make a point that can't be refuted (unless the audience is neuroscientists).

Look at that speaker putting all that Neuro-Bullshit on the presentation screen at the start of their lecture in order to convince us that what they're saying about how people behave is right. They're not a neuroscientists and neither are we, why are they showing us brain photos?!

by Human Peacocking March 5, 2024

First Rule of Peacocking

The first rule of peacocking is : don't tell the audience what it already knows.

This 'rule' refers to a maxim in social science literature that a person/thing trying to show status should not be repetitive / redundant and give the audience what they already know would happen.

John just violated the First Rule of Peacocking when giving his acceptance speech! he acted like no one knew why they were all there when he told them again about his achievements.

by Human Peacocking June 11, 2023