Did you go through an intellectual snot phase?

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
1

I was recently introduced to a friend’s new boyfriend at a party and we didn’t really hit it off too well. He was one of these annoying types with an advanced degree who felt compelled to correct me (to the best of his ability) on anything and everything. He engaged me in a conversation about the future of the web as a communications medium (something I’ve lectured at several learning institutions about, including the Harvard Business School, and I feel qualified to speak about). I related that I thought the web was the ultimate narrowcasting medium in the sense that it has content for just about every niche interest. I pronounced “niche” as “nitch” and he corrected me in mid-sentence. “No, no. That’s pronounced ‘neeshe.’”

Other things he annoyed me with:

  1. “AOL is really more than an ISP. I’d call it a proprietary network.”
  2. “One doesn’t make money from an IPO. One makes money upon selling stock in a public company. There’s a difference, you know.”
  3. “I wouldn’t call this the Upper East Side. We’re really in Yorkville.”

Had this guy not been a good friend’s new boyfriend, I would have choked him unconscious and left him on the floor at the party. Later, after I managed to break away from this annoying jerk, I was recapping the experience with some other friends…

They: “So, what did you think of xyz’s new boyfriend.”

Me: “I thought he was annoying as hell. He seemed to be stuck in that ‘intellectual snot’ phase that some people get into right after they graduate from school.”

They: “Huh?”

Me: “Oh, come on…Haven’t you ever been through an intellectual snot phase?”

They: <stare quizzically>

So, Dopers, am I just making this crap up? Or do some people go through an intellectual snot phase during which they feel compelled to let the world know exactly how smart they are? Have you gone through a similar phase or do you know someone who has? Please share.

2

No intellectual snot phase here. I’m not even sure if I’m spelling intellectual correctly. However…

Nothing can top beating the crap outta all the smart kids that made me so jealous and feel so stupid all through high school.

Just goes to show you, no matter how many degrees you have, the “big dumb ogres” that you think we are can still make you run crying to your mommy.

3

No, not exactly an intellectual snot phase, more like a I’m so creative and artistic and not bound by society’s rules phase. I was also a teenage anarchist/vegan/snot. To be honest, I’m a little ashamed about some of the crap that came out of my mouth back then, but I think most people go through some sort of “Oh, I’m so unique” trip when they are teens/young adults. It’s only alarming after the age of 30 or so.

BTW, I am a thoroughly moderate and boring person now, just like all the growed ups told me I would be one day! Damn 'em for being right! :wink:

4

<throws some pixie dust on Tatertot> You’re still unique and now you can fly! :smiley:

<suffering from PPS (Peter Pan Syndrome) >

5

Actually, no.
My snot has always been kindof dense, or should I say stupid…

6

grabs Cool Band Names List

Anarchist Vegan Snot, eh? Not too shabby! But it comes second to Shiny Gay Republican though.

7

Intellectual snot or not, he just sounds rude and obnoxious to me. I’m [sarcasm]blessed[/sarcasm] with a BIL who knows everything about everything, and I know he never attended college on any level. Personally, I think it’s indicative of a need to be smarter than everybody else. I pretty much ignore folks like that, and avoid them as much as possible.

As for me, I don’t flaunt my credentials unless someone is being an ass and trying to impress me with something singularly unimpressive, or if they’re oozing the “Aw, you’re just a girl…” sort of attitude. In fact, I am usually embarrassed to say where I went to school because people make assumptions based on that… or they make inane comments about the school’s football team - like I care…

but I digress…

8

I don’t know that its an intellectual snot phase, I think some people are just intellectual snots - period.

9

Well, I certainly went through that phase. Sometimes I worry that I have never grown out of it (but then I have yet to finish school, so maybe there’s hope).

Never flat-out corrected anyone’s pronunciation, though. Not only is it rude, but it encourages them to pronounce the word correctly, which spoils all the fun…

10

My girlfriend recently accused me of constantly trying to one-up her all the time. I admit, I do sometimes, but it is VERY subconscious (see? I can’t even spell it!).

One time she really got mad, because we were at one of her friend’s parties, and I was talking to this girl who couldn’t even pronounce the simplest of frenchish words, and was unclear on the finer points of internet conglomerates…

Owww! Stop throwing those!

11

I’ve been through it. I’m over it now, but I still have trouble letting people get away with saying things that are blatantly wrong. From your list of examples, I can’t see any I would have corrected, nor do I think they’re wrong. He just sounds annoying to me. Next time kick him in the nuts and make him write a thesis on how it feels.

Does anybody else think Intellectual Snot Phase would be a good name for a band?

12

Ahem, I think you mean “intellectual snottiness phase.”

{harrumph}

Peasant.

:slight_smile:

13

I’m pretty sure I am still in it. I’m the annoying one in my film class who knows EXACTLY what the use of a bottle of beer as opposed to a can in a particular scene in my film class represnts. I’m the one who used the phrase “I am afraid of using too much self-disclosure” in my journalism class. But hey, these concepts are relitively new to me, and I am excited by them. However, I also take very little about my life seriously, so it somehow balences out. I’m not hated, I think. The only person I really think that I annoy IRL is my older sister, who annoys me by TRYING to be uber-intellectual, and mispronounces words left and right, or misquotes people. You want to be an intellectual masturbater? Fine. But don’t freaking be a poser, you know?

Of course, in the OP, the guy was just being an asshole. If you wanted to be as assholey, you could have been like “Neeshe? Come on. I’m not speaking French here, it’s a word that has been adopted for English pronounciation, you flaming ass.” And Jesus, look at a map of Mahattan. Yorkville is in the UPPER EAST side of the island, isn’t it? (incidently, my godparents live in Yorkville. Right near the Schultz park.)

Some people go through an intellectual idiot phase. Some people are just idiots, intellectual or otherwise, thier whole lives. I say find his weakness, read up on it, and flame the bastard. Feh. And some people get nervous and rely on what they think is their strongest quality too much, be it the woman who wears a dress that’s just a leeeetle too short to her boyfriend’s Christmas party, the stand-up who can’t stop telling one-liners at a dinner party, or this clown.

14

Nice one, Jack.

I am guilty of being a snot…and I think I’ve grown out of it. . .I think.

I do, however, make an exception for my boyfriend. We love to tease each other mercilessly whenever one of us slips up- but it’s in fun and a wee bit of one-upmanship(sp?).

15

I don’t know about America, but in Britain it’s very non-U to pronounce French words in the French manner. Anybody who corrected your pronunciation from “niche” to niche or “VAL-et” to valet would be considered an ignorant oaf, rather than a snotty intellectual.

16

a Bolshevik intellectual snot. Just ask Mrs. O. :wink:

TomH: What’s ‘non-U’?

Anyway - yeah, I took great pleasure in scoring Brainiac points against the large lummoxes in my middle and high school years and paid dearly for it. I was smart and I knew it.

Then I found Cecil.

Now I realize that a lot of what people like to correct others on is almost purely a matter of personal preference rather than an actual case of fighting ignorance. Like pronunciation of words or determining the nature of an internet provider. Nowadays I try to get some backup to what I’m saying and only if I’m sure there’s a point of contention.

Just don’t try telling me ‘flammable’ and ‘inflammable’ are antonyms. I’ll take you down. :smiley:

17

I think I’m still in an intellectual snot phase, though I’ve never forced it upon anyone, in the sense that I don’t correct people on much of anything unless a) they ask, b) it’ll actually do them some good to know, or c) they’re discussing/arguing a point with me. On the other hand, in the privacy of my own head, I have very little patience for people I shortsightedly deem “stupid” - this is, of course, an entire thread in itself - and my internal monologue often sounds like Sam Kinnison at his loudest.

On the otherhand, I get very outspoken when people - such as the ass from the OP - openly contradict myself or others just to make themselves look smarter, especially if they’re nitpicking or out and out wrong. A pet peeve of mine is people using what I refer to as “preformed lines of rhetoric” which is basically using a generic template of high sounding language, which the topic at hand can be readily inserted into or simply arguing the same damn thing they have a million times before. The college bar scene from Good Will Hunting is a good example of this, “Hitler was a great leader” is another. My ex-gf, being into debate, used to do this all the damn time (she first introduced me to the Hitler thing), which is probably why it’s a peeve of mine now.

That being said, I have a question, doesn’t one make money from an IPO? After all, without an initial public offering, there is no “selling stock in a public company” is there? Similarly, the shares of stock sold at the instant (more or less) count as an increase of capital for the company in question, which means that they have more money than they did before the IPO, as a direct result of the IPO, so in that respect the IPO earned them money. While this may or may not count as said OP’s ass’ “one” it seems to validate the point that an IPO does earn one money.

Of course I have no understanding of the stock market beyond the general concept of buying and selling, so please correct me if I’m wrong.

Oh well, this is too long already, sorry for my ranting. I’m done now. :slight_smile:

Oh, Olent, irregardless of your maturity, I’m using irregardless in a sentence and it’s eating at you, isn’t it? Nyahnyah! ::d&r:: :smiley:

18

::rereading post:: Yup, I’m square in the middle of my snot phase… Oh well…

19

in·tel·lec·tu·al (ntl-kch-l)
adj.

     1.
          a.Of or relating to the intellect.
          b.Rational rather than emotional.
     2.Appealing to or engaging the intellect: an intellectual book; an intellectual problem.
     3.
          a.Having or showing intellect, especially to a high degree. See Synonyms at intelligent.
       **b.Given to exercise of the intellect; inclined toward abstract thinking about aesthetic or
            philosophical subjects.**

n.

  An intellectual person.

You mean that this phase will actually pass? I hope not.

I sometimes envy “simple” people because they can let a lot of stuff just fly on by and not really be affected.

People ask me how I know so much about so many things… I actually wonder this myself sometimes. I think it goes back to when I was a child and was extremely introverted. Books were my best friends.

Honestly though, I don’t think I am snotty. I have the pleasure of working with some people with “grad-itus” who think that just because they finished school they have all the answers and are all knowing. I take great great pleasure in proving them wrong so maybe I have a little chip on my shoulder…

20

My intellectual snot phase was in high school. I didn’t correct people so much as just act smug and arrogant about my obvious intellectual superiority over the Great Unwashed. Luckily, I got over it in college (mostly after making friends with people who were both modest and much smarter than me).

I think by the time you’ve earned an advanced degree, you should have learned not to act like that. That guy sounds like an insecure jerk who needs to make other people feel dumb. I would have punched him.