Random Thoughts

Have you ever met someone so arrogant and pompous that you just wanted to put them in their place?  I have!  I have!

Cocky comes in all kinds of forms.  There are the vain people; the ones who can't pass a reflective surface without checking themselves out.  Vain people usually take tons of glamorous pictures of themselves adorned in hip, interesting clothing and makeup if they are women.  You've seen this type if you've ever used facebook, myspace  or any dating site.  This type of arrogance is a less irritating form.  I'm not one of the "beautiful people".  There is no need for me to come into contact with any of these people.  I want nothing to do with them and since I won't treat them like God's gift they are just as uninterested in me.

It's the intellectual snobs that really stick in my craw.  We've all met them even if we don't know it.  They have the gift of gab and pepper their musings with big words.  They are hip to philosophies and love to expound on their meanings.  They speak confidently and this confidence can dupe people.  These tricks may convince you that they are really bright.  You may think, "wow, what an intellectual."  Don't let them fool you.  Listen to what they actually say.  I guarantee if you do you will see through all the bullshit the trite notions and half baked logic.

Most of these people generally haven't been exposed to intelligent people so much.  They grew up feeling as if they were the smartest person they knew.  Thus, they live in this bubble believing that they are brilliant.  Out of a desire to stand out, they start showing off their said intelligence.  They seek out people who may be less intelligent than they are because they are easier to impress.  They thrive on hearing themselves talk and on compliments of others.  Other intellectual snobs may have been exposed to others that were in the same bracket of intelligence.  They learned quickly, excelled at their studies and were told time and again that they were smart growing up.  These people usually exclusively seek out people they deem to be intelligent and thus worthy of their time.

I have a couple of friends like this.  They are not my close friends because of their arrogance but I get along with them for the most part.  The only downside is that I am reluctant to ever introduce them to any of my other friends because they would just pick my poor friend apart if he/she didn't meet the intelligence quota.

It's the pompous windbags that really get to me.  They are so self important.  They think everything that comes out of their mouths is a shiny diamond of wisdom.  Their opinions are gospel.  All of us less blessed than they should hang on their every word.  Yuck!

Females of this type are more prevalent in society.  Why?  Because they can get away with it more easily.  Sure, there of course are men who fit the bill.  Most of them have achieved some sort of status or are an artist of some sort.  This gives them and air of distinction and people can be blinded by that.  Mostly though women don't really like men that talk too much because they like to do all the talking.  And most men put up with it because they want to get laid.  The female windbag thrives because of this situation.  She seeks out people who are labelled bright but not as bright as her.  She speaks of philosophy, history and other esoterica.  You'll barely get a word in edgewise except to compliment or agree with her.  She is very much into art: museums, foreign cinema, industrial art.  She has a group of friends that are mostly comprised of men who think she's the shit.  She is most likely a "struggling artist" of some sort: a writer, photographer, painter or filmmaker.  However, her actual job that pays the bills is something mundane and otherwise unimpressive.  But art is what really is her passion she will probably tell you.  She thrives most in being the center of attention and is fueled by adoration.  

I believe that people need to get knocked around in life to gain any sort of character.  People that have been babied and placated their whole lives are pretty boring and think they're something really special.  These pretentious girls need to be taken down several rungs.  They gotten away with their shoddy behavior for too long.  I'm not saying ruin their lives or anything.  They need to realize their station in life.  They need to know their flaws and limitations.  They need to stop making others feel inferior just because they are not familiar with the works of Kirkegaard.  They need to come to the sad realization that there are in fact smarter people in the world and there will always be someone smarter.  And I want to be the one that does this.

Arrogance can often come from a place of insecurity.  People that are satisfied with themselves don't go around touting how great they are.  Most of the really ingenious people I have met are quite humble about their abilities.  The pretentious girl wants so badly to be special that she crafts a confident act.  She doesn't stop there.  She goes so far as to all but tell you that she is special.  After a while of doing that, the act is second nature to her.  Some people will react sycophantically because a special person is a feather in the proverbial cap.  Some people will wrinkle their nose and be put off by how full of herself she is.  I was one of the latter.  I never wanted anything to do with those girls although we often travel in similar social circles.  However, if you scratch beneath the concrete surface of pretension you will find someone who actually has low self worth.

Example:  I knew this woman once.  Lets call her Big M.  Big M is ever so self important.  She's a talented artist and writer but, my gosh, doesn't she just know it.  She speaks with such great authority on everything as if it were a scientifically proven fact.  She took pride in her appearance and often commented about being sexy.  I mean, she is bright and talented but not as much as she projected.  Her looks certainly left a lot to be desired.  We had a mutual friend so her company was often forced on me.  She condescended to me every time we talked by assuming that I did not know what certain words meant and couldn't follow the conversation.  I was incredulous at this treatment.  She didn't know my educational background and/or anything about me.  The fact that she did the same thing to some very smart people made me livid.  I was going to give her a piece of my mind.  I didn't do it all at once.  I made little derogatory comments to her every time I saw her until she finally shouted at me and ran away crying.  I was stunned that all that pompousness was just a mask over insecurity.  

Ok, why am I such an asshole?  Why don't I just leave them be?  How can I criticize their arrogance when I so arrogantly think I am the one to put them down?

Well, I make no secret my crippling insecurity.  My whole life, I never quite felt that I was good enough or worth knowing.  I let people like that walk all over me because I was so desperate to be liked.  I have come to terms with being "a smart girl" and I see those arrogant jerks trying to make less educated people feel like they aren't intelligent.  I would never make someone feel bad for not knowing something.  

Mostly, those windbags are doing themselves a disservice.  They are not dealing with their insecurity issues.  They're shoving them deep down in the bottom of the dresser drawer and projecting a lie.  They've got themselves thinking they are better than the rest of us lowly humans.  Get a fucking clue!