No Gammas allowed

Here is an object lesson in why you should avoid permitting Gammas to join your team or your organization if at all possible. With the announcement of Infogalactic, we have a lot of volunteers coming forward who want to help, but as you can imagine, we're extremely busy, so we've been practicing a form of triage with regards to whom we get back to. Just to put this in context, since we've decided to bite the bullet and write our own engine, our current needs relate more to below the hood stuff than the paint job.

So, the initial contact is fine. It's a generous offer to help out on a big project. Nothing wrong with that.

Hey there, yea so, I am passionate about the cause, and I'de love to help out. I do graphic design and web design mockups for developers to code. Most of my web work in the last year is not up on my portfolio, been too busy. 

Now, I should have responded sooner, but I've been just a little busy, what with launching Infogalactic, Clio & Me, and MAGA Mindset all within eight days. So, nine or ten days later, he quite reasonably sends a follow-up:

So how about dignify me with a response. "Yes, no, moved on, found someone else, my work sucks, my work is fantastic, you're a pick," anything will do.

Or not quite reasonably. I've developed fairly sensitive Gamma radar and I picked up on an amount of passive-aggressiveness in the first sentence. There is also a just a hint of a lofty sense of entitlement, which is why my response began with a warning.

First, you need to lose the attitude if you want to work with us. I had three hours of sleep last night, because in addition to launching Infogalactic eight days ago, I just edited and published two books this week, one of which is currently in the top 250 on Amazon. If you can't deal with the fact that the big dogs on this project are insanely busy, you won't fit in. There simply isn't space for divas and egos on the team.

Answering the 100s of emails I get a day is something I do when I can get to it. It's not the top priority.

That being said, your work looks good. It's a little bit too soon for us to think about this, since we just decided to modify the roadmap and create a whole new MediaWiki engine replacement that doesn't suck and wasn't designed by brain-dead people. Send me your phone number and I'll give you a call next week. If you don't hear from me by Wednesday, ping me. And if you want to play around with concepts, read the roadmap. The link is on the front page.

He didn't lose the attitude.

Fucking asinine prick, you want to talk about egos and "big dogs on the project" all in the same sentence? I asked to be dignified with a response, even if it's "no thanks," since ya know, I was trying to volunteer my professional design services. How the fuck does that equate to an ego? Answer: it doesn't. What a hypocritical statement, talking about how you are a big dog to a small fry trying to humbly donate his time. Brilliant. 

"If you can't deal with the fact that the big dogs on this project are insanely busy." <-- the world revolves around egos, as if you are the only one in life that is busy. 

Then you proceed to tell me to give you my number and do some concepts. Listen here, I am not your little small fry trying to work for a big dog, and I have zero interest in donating my top notch professional design services to anyone who thinks they can talk like that to me. You have your world backwards, big dog. If you can't handle me requesting a hint of communication, then you are right, I certainly will not fit in with the team. Looks like to me it's you who needs your ego dismantled. "Divas and egos," you are a real fucking asshole. 

Glad we got this settled. Good luck, self-deluded self-important egotistical hypocritical prick. Maybe think a little longer before you respond when you are on 3 hours of sleep so as not to unnecessarily outlet your stress on people for no reason. And value the time your next volunteer will sacrifice for YOU, because we are all busy outside of your little inflated world. 

At that point, I realized we'd gotten off easy. I'd much rather have a Gamma meltdown when he's on the outside looking in than do so when he hasn't gotten his way on something in the middle of the project.

Glad we were able to weed you out at the start. 

I was unsurprised at both the posturing and the multiple responses. I've dealt with too many Gammas blowing up on the blog to not know what to expect. So, I just let him rant without responding. First, he started with the fake amusement and false sympathy.

BAHAHAHAH what a joke. So much appreciation. You refuse to acknowledge that you were unnecessarily and asshole because you perceive yourself as someone people are lining up for and begging to work you, which is also known as an ego diva big dog. 

Oh no, anyone calling themselves big dog has no ego at all. You just wish I was upset that you weeded me out, again like someone with an ego would do. You couldn't handle me being straight forward and asking for a response so you thought you could talk to me like a real piece of shit, then when I do not submit and kiss your ass you "weed me out." 

Honestly, are you fucking serious????? Man I tell you what, I do feel bad, but not because I cannot donate the time I barely have to your site, but because you are an outright fucking asshole. This conversation would not be happening if you were to be trying to talk to me like a piece of shit to my face. 

His next email moved on to the minimizing and belittling.

Oh wow two whole books selling on the top 250, good for your ego. 👍 

And the email after that consisted of the belated reframe of the reframing.

And you didn't "weed me out," you asked for my number, derp. I weeded YOU out, dim wit fake pseudo crusader asshole. 

The next day, not having received any response, he decided to take it public, on Gab, in a series of posts.

@voxday You follow just 32 people. Must be your egotistical self importance.

@voxday How exactly again did you "weed me out" after asking for my number and saying you were gonna call me? I weeded you out, because you were a pure uncalled for asshole. Go cry about it. You don't put someone down then ask for their number. You've been dismantled. Glad I didn't donate my time.

@voxday Careful, I see your ego showing yet again, in pretty much every exchange, how hypocritical. I will try to not let my "ego" encourage me to volunteer the time I really don't have. My huge inflated "diva ego" made me want to donate. My bad. Carry on "big dog alpha." 

@voxday Never in my professional career have I ever hear anyone talk about themselves like you did. You have a hard lesson to learn, but instead you will play alpha games and unwittingly prove my point about your level of mentality. All the best to infogalactic.

@voxday Post the fucking email you hypocrite self-deluded asshole. How do you feel smug for talking like that to people trying to give shit to you free out of selflessness? All I asked for was a response, even it was a "fuck you your work is shit." Then you call yourself a big dog, and me a diva ego

@voxday I called you out for what you are after you called me a "diva ego" then immediately called yourself a "big dog." You took your stress from lack of sleep out on me man, admit it. After your response I was no longer concerned about being "professional." You asked for my number, I declined. smh

@voxday Yea, when you try to belittle me, I tend to not be suitable to work with you. Unless of course I bent over and begged for more like u expected as a "big dog."  One, I was not looking for a job. I have two. Two, I already do work with a high profile dev team, much bigger than yours.

@voxday The fact that you went straight there and assumed I am some unemployed small fry do nothing shows how important you think of yourself. Pretty ignorant. How do you justify initiating a bitter dialogue them proceed to blame me for getting bitter? You need mental help.

@voxday I've worked with technology companies, marketing companies, brands, startups, I've been around the block, "big dog." I live in startup driven Portland Oregon's huge design community. I've met countless design professionals, and only about one had the arrogant ego rudeness you have.

@voxday Stop blaming people for reacting negatively to the rude way you treat them, then maybe you can find "suitable" volunteer shit ons

Then, to top it all off, he rushed over to Amazon to leave a fake review about SJWS Always Lie. Why, oh why, would we not want someone like this on the Infogalactic team?

By Allen on October 21, 2016

First off, when someone introduces themselves with a lie, even if it its a somewhat harmless lie, It really gives a bad impression and you cannot feel that comfortable assimilating their information. It makes you approach their book verya very skeptical perspective, and does indeed hurt any credibility.

Author claims between the two of his sites he gets over 3 million views, yet it clearly shows the amount of views he has on Alpha Game, which is just about 300,000 a month.


So unless Vox Day is getting a whopping 3 million views a month, which is extremely unlikely considering the content and the caliber, the author is inflating his credentials, no doubt due to his incredible ego. Most of the content is pseudo intellectual generalizations, which is your first clue to steer clear.

Have a look at the sidebar. Notice that it currently features a number in excess of 400,000. Those of you who can do the math will soon realize that means VP must get traffic of more than 2.6 million pageviews per month. Which, as it happens, is the case.

Anyhow, this is why it's best to avoid having Gammas on your team. You have absolutely no idea what will set them off, but you can rest assured that something will trigger their insecurities at some point along the way, usually to disruptive effect. And Gammas never forgive and they never forget. They will wait years just to take a petty shot at you in revenge for some slight you've completely forgotten.

If you're a Gamma, it's very important to learn two concepts. First, don't expect anyone to value you as highly as you value yourself. Nobody else sees you for the Secret King you are, that's why it's a Secret. Second, stop digging.