I just finished Joseph Epstein's Snobbery: The American Version. I found the book through an article of his in the Wall Street Journal about the state of higher education (about which he has little good to say). Mr. Epstein describes snobs as either insecure status seekers who fear being thought one of the masses or as arrogant prigs ever on the lookout to prove their superiority. That sounds about right. And while Mr. Epstein has many good points about what constitutes snobbery and all the ways we engage in it, I think he overestimates snobberyas a motivator in our lives. Status seeking behaviour isn't always about leaving other people behind, sometimes it's about finding people like ourselves; people who like the same things we do. Aspiring to elevate one's tastes can also be about exploring what all life has to offer.
It's also not snobbish to want a nice car and to live in a good neighborhood. Just like it's not snobbish to want to spend time around people we consider our peers in intellect and interest. We should be picky about what we buy, who are our friends, and how we spend our time. Resources are finite. Life is short. I think snobbery has little to do with our actual choices - sushi vs Vienna sausages. Those are a matter of taste, preference, and culture.
Instead, snobbery is making a virtue out of our particular tastes and then measuring other people with ourselves as the measuring stick, and finding them wanting. Snobbery is making choices with the neighborhood's collective opinion in mind. Snobbery is to think people slightly less human, just a tiny bit, for being lower class or less sophisticated than we imagine ourselves to be. Snobbery is to elevate shallow preferences over acts of good character when judging other people. Snobbery is not nice.
Snob motto - For me to have worth, there must be others who compare poorly. And this must be obvious to the casual viewer.
The book made me ask myself if I was a snob. I don't think so, although Mr. Epstein would probably interpret this as a snobby opinion in itself, one that implies superiority - I'm not a snob, not like all you other losers. But I can suffer from arrogance, which is akin to snobbery (but better). So, I've made a list of all the good reasons I ought to work on not being snobbish, even if I'm not.
Why being a snob is self-defeating:
1) Snobbery impairs our ability to think clearly. It's difficult to judge people and events objectively under the influence of our own infallible tastes or when obsessed with how our judgements will be viewed by our peers. Snobs have to accept the fact that they do not see the world as it actually is.
2) Snobbery is a sign of insecurity. The guy really comfortable with his station in life doesn't overmuch care what car his neighbor drives, or, better, doesn't care what his neighbor thinks of what he drives. Snobs worry a lot.
3) Snobbery is a character flaw. Of course, most of us take great care to hide our snobbery from outsiders because we know this.
4) Snobbery is a form of self-flattery and deception. Better to know your true self. The rest of us do.
I'll go work on eradicating all feelings of superiority while I'm making a sandwich.
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Posted by: Beats By Dre Solo HD | 09/13/2012 at 10:37 PM