The premise of a snob is that a person thinks they're better than others. They have better cultural taste. Better education. They've read more good books than most people. They have more money. And they flaunt this opinion.

The mere act of showing disdain and contempt for a fellow human being is one of the most deplorable acts a person could ever perform. When you say that you're better, you must also say someone else is worse. A snob peddles in this misery and humiliation of others.

So here's the contradiction built into the premise of being a snob: the people doing the worst things, think that they are the best people.

Remember... What does one gain by humilating or breaking down another person? Absolutely nothing. Or else, if they do gain some joy, then they suffer from antisocial personality disorder. In other words, they are a psychopath.


Here are some warning signs that you may have snobbish tendencies:

  • Have you ever been surprised, and told someone that you misjudged them, or underestimated them?
  • What were you doing judging and estimating anyone else to begin with? Trying to measure which of you was better?
  • Are you obsessed with your ranking, how many experience points you possess, or whether or not you're a god or have Elite status on your favorite website, bulletin board, or online game?
  • Why are you trying to outrank or be better than the other members of a community of people you purport to care about?
  • How enthusiastic are you to offer suggestions when someone asks for good books to read?
  • Do you cite books that sucked more often than books that ruled?
  • Are you being charitable and giving good advice for others to follow? Or are you serving an ulterior motive, jumping on a chance to brag about how much you've read?
  • Do you only publicize journal entries in which you think you did something remarkable?
  • Are your publicized journal entries ignoring the mistakes that you've made?
  • What's your motive for publicizing your journal? To make people jealous of your successes, rather than to express empathy with the failings of others?

If you truly want to be a better person than most, avoid snobbish tendencies. Identify what you do that's snobbish. And don't just stop doing such things. Actually improve, and clean your karmic slate. Apologize to the people you tore down for personal gain. Make amends. You'll be better served spiritually by replacing the faux superiority you built up over the years by actually proving that you've become a better person. Take back your negative judgments, if you must. It's a better route in life.

Also keep in mind that the people a snob hurts, are people whose respect the snob desired. The wrong effect was produced, however. Go back and earn the respect properly!

Snob (?), n. [Icel. snapr a dolt, impostor, charlatan. Cf. Snub.]

1.

A vulgar person who affects to be better, richer, or more fashionable, than he really is; a vulgar upstart; one who apes his superiors.

Thackeray.

Essentially vulgar, a snob. -- a gilded snob, but none the less a snob. R. G. White.

2. Eng. Univ.

A townsman.

[Canf]

3.

A journeyman shoemaker.

[Prov. Eng.]

Halliwell.

4.

A workman who accepts lower than the usual wages, or who refuses to strike when his fellows do; a rat; a knobstick.

Those who work for lower wages during a strike are called snobs, the men who stand out being "nobs" De Quincey.

<-- 5. One who adopts an offensive air of superiority to those he considers as inferiors, esp. by avoiding or ignoring them. -->

 

© Webster 1913.

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