"(Gambetta dryly notes that many of these strategies work in another environment with a stable population and forced attendance: school.)"
Indeed. I think economist David Friedman noted in one of his books that posting as a tough guy is a good social strategy in school just as it is in prison, but is often a poor social strategy in environments of free association.
Is the public school system, pretty much universal around the globe now, a breeding ground for sociopathic behavior because of compulsory attendance?
I have entertained that thought. It is difficult to sort out all the different aspects of causation of crime, but voluntary school attendance (once the worldwide norm) seems to be better for building cohesive societies than compulsory school attendance.
One highlight in the Prisoner's Dilema was the concept of letting the opponent see you "throw the steering wheel out the window" during a game of chicken.
I wonder if you could create a company around this idea. Call it "Final Offer, Inc." The company would offer contracts that "throw the steering wheel out the window" when negotiating. How it works: I sign an agreement with Final Offer that obligates me to pay Final Offer 100% of the contract price if this is not the final offer. Or a software company's sales department takes out a Final Offer contract to certify that this pricing is the lowest it can offer for 8 months. The customer is then provided with Final Offer certification they can show when submitting the offer.
The idea that facial tattoos mean "this person expects to spend his life in prison" is ridiculous. I know a dozen programmers with neck and facial tattoos, one of whom is also a VC-funded entrepreneur in Seattle. I bet the closest any of them have gotten to prison is in a video game.
Seriously what type of life can you expect to have looking like that? It's not like it was a snap decision either, that much work would take a lot of time. This guy definitely went above and beyond to differentiate himself from ordinary people who have tattoos.
Indeed. I think economist David Friedman noted in one of his books that posting as a tough guy is a good social strategy in school just as it is in prison, but is often a poor social strategy in environments of free association.