That’s so cute, I can’t. Thanks for paying your taxes on time.

That’s the intended effect – a condescending dismissal of being condescendingly dismissed. Not much you can say to a clear sign of disengagement.

That’s why we have Mathcore. Also if this is you, please check out this programming themed prog album.

I’ve recently been trying to focus on this! A few years ago I looked at my collection of various things I don’t really need and realized how little I know about maintaining them properly; I just bought things with no regard to how long it would be around. If I were to actually do the recommended weekly maintenance on everything including home, it’d probably be a full time job. I’ve since taken a step back and slowly worked one thing at a time into my weekly schedule while minimizing, and it feels pretty rewarding. It changed the way I value things, both at their peak of function and that have a small issue I wouldn’t have considered fixing before.

I don’t think you’re entirely wrong, but I think maybe you downplay the importance of a good team dynamic when choosing people. I’d take someone less skilled over a highly skilled but unapproachable jerk for the long-term health of the crew. In that way, I don’t think it’s bad to favor the more likable one depending on how we’re defining likable, and I don’t think that makes it simply a popularity contest either.