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G. Retriever's avatar

It reminds me of an exchange from Mad Men between Peggy and Don.

"Peggy Olson: Sex sells.

Don Draper: Says who?

Just so you know, the people who talk that way think that monkeys can do this. They take all this monkey crap and just stick it in a briefcase completely unaware that their success depends on something more than their shoeshine.

YOU are the product. You - FEELING something.

That's what sells. Not them. Not sex.

They can't do what we do, and they hate us for it."

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Rachel Maron's avatar

This piece nails the dilemma of abundant execution: when everyone can produce, only a few will matter. But what he calls 'taste,' I call trustworthy coherence. This isn’t just about aesthetics or strategic restraint. It's about meaning, consequence, and accountability.

Platforms now churn out infinite “vibes.” What’s scarce? Not code. Not content. Credibility. Alignment. Narrative integrity.

Taste without trust is branding. Trust with structured coherence? That is power.

Miyazaki’s restraint wasn’t just artistic. It was moral. Muji’s minimalism wasn’t style. It was operationalized epistemology. We are no longer crafting products. We are shaping systems of belief.

In a world where every answer is cheap, the real work, the dangerous, sacred work, is asking questions that matter. Then, having the discipline to build slowly, visibly, and trustworthily until something true remains.

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