# What's The Most Pretentious Thing You Used To Do? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 8, 2015, 6:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-pretentious-thing-you-used-to-do/739799 "2015-12-08T06:32:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2015, 11:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-pretentious-thing-you-used-to-do/739799/101 "2015-12-10T11:52:21Z")
At a parent-teacher conference last night, my son’s English teacher was pointing out that while commenting on Camus’s _The Stranger_, he referenced Dostoyevsky’s _Notes From the Underground_. When the other kids didn’t know of it, a couple of them giggled and he got frustrated and thought he was being made fun of. Sigh. It’s genetic; yeah, that’s it. ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2015, 11:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-pretentious-thing-you-used-to-do/739799/102 "2015-12-10T11:56:43Z")
Wait, I just remembered something I do nowadays that is undoubtedly partly for pretentious reasons… GOODREADS! Especially because I allow it to post on my Facebook page whenever I add an item (“JKellyMap just started reading Braudel’s _The Structures of Everyday Life_,” etc.). I’m sure whoever invented the Goodreads website (later bought out by Amazon) knew that the human prediliction for pretension would ensure its success. ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2015, 12:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-pretentious-thing-you-used-to-do/739799/103 "2015-12-10T12:00:46Z")
> [@WordMan](#): > > At a parent-teacher conference last night, my son’s English teacher was pointing out that while commenting on Camus’s _The Stranger_, he referenced Dostoyevsky’s _Notes From the Underground_. When the other kids didn’t know of it, a couple of them giggled and he got frustrated and thought he was being made fun of. > > Sigh. It’s genetic; yeah, that’s it. Poor thing. I doubt very much _he_ was being pretentious (that surely wasn’t his intent)…but _you_ might be, a little, by posting this here now! 😉 … Just the sort of parental bragging I mentioned a couple posts ago. ---
**Author:** ![Les\_Espaces\_Du\_Sommeil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/les_espaces_du_sommeil/32/308_2.png) [@Les\_Espaces\_Du\_Sommeil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Les_Espaces_Du_Sommeil)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2015, 12:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-pretentious-thing-you-used-to-do/739799/104 "2015-12-10T12:19:47Z")
> [@WOOKINPANUB](#): > > You might all be a bunch of pretentious goofballs but you are bringing me much joy 😛 I love this thread, too! Douche chills, douchebaguette… great ! OK let’s see. I was a huge fan of **The Cure** so I was no stranger to ridiculously big hair, black clothes only, black nail polish, lipstick and a general I’m-oh-so-miserable-sigh look. But that’s not really prententious, just silly. However this comes to mind. When I was 12 (1st year of secondary school), I decided to teach German to my younger brother who was still in primary school. For some reason, I decided that pronouncing every German word with a completely artificial “English” accent was so clever. “Aaawwf veedewzehhn”, I’d say and my brother would kindly repeat it, trying to imitate me but with a puzzled look on his face because this didn’t sound like German at all. And our mother tongue is French. 😕 ---
**Author:** ![Tibby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tibby/32/17030_2.png) [@Tibby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tibby)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2015, 12:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-pretentious-thing-you-used-to-do/739799/105 "2015-12-10T12:32:28Z")
> [@JKellyMap](#): > > Poor thing. I doubt very much _he_ was being pretentious (that surely wasn’t his intent)…but _you_ might be, a little, by posting this here now! 😉 … Just the sort of parental bragging I mentioned a couple posts ago. No, I don’t think bragging about your kid’s accomplishments is pretentious–it is after all highlighting their accomplishment not yours. For example, I’m proud that my daughter scored the highest in the county in the gifted students tests. She did it, not me…so it’s not pretentious of me to talk about. …Yeah, that kid’s a chip off the old block all right. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Memnon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f1d935/32.png) [@Memnon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Memnon)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2015, 12:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-pretentious-thing-you-used-to-do/739799/106 "2015-12-10T12:34:20Z")
I used to be a terrible movie snob. Nowadays I’ll watch any old shit. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2015, 12:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-pretentious-thing-you-used-to-do/739799/107 "2015-12-10T12:40:06Z")
> [@Scumpup](#): > > No doubt. I, and lots of people I ride with, are motorcyclists and don’t wear such jackets. I only wear my duster when I’m dusting. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2015, 12:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-pretentious-thing-you-used-to-do/739799/108 "2015-12-10T12:41:33Z")
> [@JKellyMap](#): > > Poor thing. I doubt very much _he_ was being pretentious (that surely wasn’t his intent)…but _you_ might be, a little, by posting this here now! 😉 … Just the sort of parental bragging I mentioned a couple posts ago. Oh, he was slipping in a reference to Dostoyevsky to make a point, but he knew most kids had not heard of it, let alone read it. I have already owned my pretentiousness in this thread - noting that my kid is trying some of the same stuff just struck me as “what goes around, comes around” within this context. ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2015, 12:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-pretentious-thing-you-used-to-do/739799/109 "2015-12-10T12:45:46Z")
> [@Tibby or Not Tibby](#): > > …Yeah, that kid’s a chip off the old block all right. 🙂 Now, you’re just bragging about your _spouse_…and your ability to pick and attract him/her! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2015, 12:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-pretentious-thing-you-used-to-do/739799/110 "2015-12-10T12:51:42Z")
> [@WordMan](#): > > Oh, he was slipping in a reference to Dostoyevsky to make a point, but he knew most kids had not heard of it, let alone read it. > > I have already owned my pretentiousness in this thread - noting that my kid is trying some of the same stuff just struck me as “what goes around, comes around” within this context. Ah, I see. It’s good you’re so honest about this (regarding both him and yourself)! Well, it’s a fine line. If he truly likes Dostoyevsky, and it truly related to _The Stranger_ in a useful way, then “making a point” is mixed in with worthier motives. ---
**Author:** ![Tibby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tibby/32/17030_2.png) [@Tibby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tibby)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2015, 12:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-pretentious-thing-you-used-to-do/739799/111 "2015-12-10T12:55:36Z")
> [@JKellyMap](#): > > Now, you’re just bragging about your _spouse_…and your ability to pick > and attract him/her! 😃 Donor egg IVF…that battle ax\* had nothing to do with it. \*_ **EX** _-spouse 😃 ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2015, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-pretentious-thing-you-used-to-do/739799/112 "2015-12-10T13:44:48Z")
> [@JKellyMap](#): > > Ah, I see. It’s good you’re so honest about this (regarding both him and yourself)! Well, it’s a fine line. If he truly likes Dostoyevsky, and it truly related to _The Stranger_ in a useful way, then “making a point” is mixed in with worthier motives. All true. But he knows he came off a bit like a d\*bag and wants to avoid that. And yes, we actively discuss how intellectual curiosity is a wonderful thing, but it has the potential to lead to pretentiousness and to keep an eye out. I try to own my shit in those conversations, so hopefully he can hear it and avoid some of it himself. But we all have to own our own douchebag tendencies. ---
**Author:** ![Scumpup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce73a5/32.png) [@Scumpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scumpup)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2015, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-pretentious-thing-you-used-to-do/739799/113 "2015-12-10T13:47:22Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > I only wear my duster when I’m dusting. Why did you have to mention dusters? You reminded me that I had, and wore, one of those for a while too. I didn’t have the excuse of it being the 80s or anything. It was just foolish dress-up that spawned from watching too many spaghetti westerns. Present day me is greatly embarrassed for younger, duster-wearing tool me. ---
**Author:** ![WOOKINPANUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wookinpanub/32/132_2.png) [@WOOKINPANUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WOOKINPANUB)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2015, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-pretentious-thing-you-used-to-do/739799/114 "2015-12-10T14:00:25Z")
> [@Scumpup](#): > > Why did you have to mention dusters? You reminded me that I had, and wore, one of those for a while too. I didn’t have the excuse of it being the 80s or anything. It was just foolish dress-up that spawned from watching too many spaghetti westerns. Present day me is greatly embarrassed for younger, duster-wearing tool me. When I hear the word duster I think of a flowery housecoat such as Gladys Kravitz might wear and I must ask you if you work it with fuzzy slippers and curlers in your hair (yes, I know what kind of duster you’re actually referring to). ---
**Author:** ![GreenElf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9de053/32.png) [@GreenElf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreenElf)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2015, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-pretentious-thing-you-used-to-do/739799/115 "2015-12-10T14:39:27Z")
I went through a brief Objectivism phase during my late teens. It was mainly because I wasn’t popular and wanted to look down my nose at everyone else. I eventually burned out on it and tossed my Rand library in the trash where it properly belongs. ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2015, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-pretentious-thing-you-used-to-do/739799/116 "2015-12-10T14:42:28Z")
Tibby: ha! WordMan: You’ve given me good advice…chances are I’ll have to deal with similar situations in a few years (but who knows…you can never be sure how a kid will turn out). ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2015, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-pretentious-thing-you-used-to-do/739799/117 "2015-12-10T14:49:02Z")
> [@Scumpup](#): > > Why did you have to mention dusters? You reminded me that I had, and wore, one of those for a while too. I didn’t have the excuse of it being the 80s or anything. It was just foolish dress-up that spawned from watching too many spaghetti westerns. Present day me is greatly embarrassed for younger, duster-wearing tool me. I bought my duster at a music festival. I was stoned outta my gourd. It cost a small fortune. I never wore it outside of my house until I incorporated it into a Halloween costume years later. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2015, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-pretentious-thing-you-used-to-do/739799/118 "2015-12-10T15:36:56Z")
> [@JKellyMap](#): > > WordMan: You’ve given me good advice…chances are I’ll have to deal with similar situations in a few years (but who knows…you can never be sure how a kid will turn out). Cool. Yeah, it’s the classic “your kids pick up stuff from you whether you like it or not” - when your kid makes their own pretentious statement but does it using a move that you know is partly/mostly yours, it straightens you up from a parenting standpoint pretty quickly 😉 Not that you can do much - everybody’s got to learn it themselves. ---
**Author:** ![Slithy\_Tove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slithy_tove/32/18248_2.png) [@Slithy\_Tove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slithy_Tove)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2015, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-pretentious-thing-you-used-to-do/739799/119 "2015-12-10T15:46:58Z")
The whole duster thing amused me (a fashion trend that the Columbine shooters ruined, in a very unamusing way). Supposedly what Australian cowboys wore, or badass bounty hunters, etc. “Duster” was a polite substitute for “shitter,” since they were black versions of the [stable coats](http://www.shadowlandstudios.com/2nd_US_Cav/Equipment/stable_frock.jpg) issued to US cavalrymen. The James Gang wore them to the Northfield robbery posing as cattle buyers. They’re not for riding but for walking around livestock, who will lift a tail and piss and shit all over you, or whip you with a poopy tail. ---
**Author:** ![BigBlue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@BigBlue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigBlue)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2015, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-pretentious-thing-you-used-to-do/739799/120 "2015-12-10T16:07:58Z")
> [@JKellyMap](#): > > While I was a nerdy kid and did some of the things others have mentioned, I don’t recall ever doing anything for pretentious reasons. Now that I’m the father of a five-year-old, though, I do catch myself from time to time being borderline pretentious _through him_. But it’s a fine line. If I’m in the car with my son and an adult acquaintance of mine, and the adult says something about the Beatles, and so **I prod my son to tell the adult his favorite Beatles album…surely I’m trying to indirectly show off my hip parenting skills, but pretentious? Maybe.** Most definitely [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-pretentious-thing-you-used-to-do/739799.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-pretentious-thing-you-used-to-do/739799.md?page=7)