Ask HN: What are some surprising ways to gain social status?

Start small, iterate. That's how you learn :)

I think the surprising thing is that you can learn how to do it.

As for that, it depends on your what your social circle looks like. I learned how to cook a couple great meals and how to make a couple fancy cocktails. I invited a few friends over that told my other friends. I slowly integrated different people from different areas of my life and now I'm that guy that throws fun cocktail parties.

It's not the same sort of social status as driving a fancy care, but it has increase my social status amongst people I actually care about.

Possibly, but then you are now doing the same thing! Also my hacker news account is anonymous, on twitter accounts tend to be people posting as themselves. (I haven't posted on twitter before, mainly because of that).

As are you, and so am I.

It's not the douchebag part they love. It's the lack of fear/timidness that people love.