Snobbery

Recently I discovered an interesting blog, "Intellectual Snob", that is written by some elitist idiot that turned out to be a fraud. Before she was exposed, she claimed to be some Ivy League graduate and proceeded to unload her contempt for people whom she deems of "lower intelligence" on her blog. She calls such people "frogs" and local graduates, amongst others, are collectively denounced in that classification. She was later found to be a fraudster and the ironic thing is that she is actually an undergraduate from NTU! The extreme hypocrisy of the author aside, the blog is also incredibly arrogant and vicious. There is massive outrage on the blogosphere with she wrote. Many hurled insults at her and left hate-mail like comments on her blog.

I admit I am slightly like her. I am not proud of it but I have to be honest with who I am and what I believe in. Intellegence is probably my most admired quality in a person. I used to think it is also the most valuable asset you can have. I am the biggest advocate of the idea of "You are what you think". Some call it perspective, some call it understanding and others say it's mindset. To me it's one and the same. The main determinant of how your life pans out, outside of dumb luck, is what you think of and consequently how you act on it. The thought is key, subsequent execution of that merely procedural.

However this episode of the errant blogger gave me an addition insight into my belief on intelligence. A certain amount of humility and tolerance is needed for intelligence to be truly beneficial and appreciated. This blogger uses her supposed "intelligence" to belittle and ridicule everyone she meets, from colleague to the man on the street. Perhaps she does not realize it but I think her blog screams for recognition and acceptance for what she deems are exceptional achievements. She believes she is bestowed with extraordinary gifts and thus have a god-given right to all good things in life. The blog is a means for her to justify that irrational notion. But her towering arrogance has, instead of convincing, only serve to alienate her from others and acts in direct contradiction of her original intention.

A true intellect knows the virtue of humility. He recognizes and embrace diversity. Only by acknowledging your own insufficiencies and imperfectness, will you be able to see the validity of others' strengths and realize the absurdity of having a single, myopic definition of talent or ability. I am not going to dismiss her thinking because she is from NTU. It was inaccurate from the start, regardless of the authencity of her Ivy League pedigree. It is a shame that she needs to hide behind the facade of an American education before hurling insults at her fellow countrymen. This suggests that her superiority complex never originated from her confidence in her mental powers but rather, derived from an association with reputable institutions fabricated in her elaborate lie.

I am nowhere near an ideal level of humility and self-awareness. I recognize it and I will continue to strive towards that goal. However the greatest satisfaction I derive from my inadequacy is the knowledge that somewhere out there, there is at least one self-deluding fool that is way dumber than a frog.