People may keep high expectations and emphasize grievance to look mistreated, making others fear blame and treat them better. This turns some chronic unhappiness into a strategic signal rather than a mere bad outcome, especially after social ties form and parties can be blamed.
— It reframes ‘victimhood’ and grievance politics as incentive‑driven signaling, suggesting norms and institutions that reward grievance can inadvertently promote unhappiness.
Robin Hanson
2025.08.22
100% relevant
Hanson’s claim that we “refuse to choose” lower‑expectation framings as “a negotiating tactic,” and that even real victims are partly responsible for their unhappiness.
Thomas des Garets Geddes
2025.08.13
60% relevant
Zhang’s 'resentment complex' implies grievance is strategically cultivated and rewarded in China—e.g., Dalian Polytechnic publicly punishing a student for 'damaging national dignity'—mirroring how signaling unhappiness/grievance can extract better treatment or prove loyalty.
Tove K
2025.04.26
60% relevant
The daughter’s letters alleging 'psychological abuse' and threats of hunger strikes to authorities exemplify grievance‑forward tactics used to extract concessions, aligning with the idea that signaling mistreatment can be a strategic bargaining move.