I really struggle with this argument that I see everywhere lately, especially when we see many vibecoders clearly desperate for clout who post "decomps" and automated translations of works they clearly have no interest in and just want to claim a spot on the wall of fame. I'm talking about people bulk-translating old ROMs and not even booting them up to see if they work before releasing them in the wild for instance.

Their lazy cloud-chasing is normal but my high-effort clout-chasing is lame and makes me a fraud?

We're social animals. We like doing cool stuff and getting social status for it. We like breaking new ground. We like going where nobody has gone before.

Is it irrational and emotional? Maybe. Being human is being irrational and emotional sometimes. It's fine.