From: Lee Corbin (lcorbin@tsoft.com)
Date: Fri Sep 20 2002 - 18:29:34 MDT
On the one side of this conjecture, pretentious people
who are titled or who occupy positions of respect can
see me coming a mile away, and instantly sense that
I'm almost sure to be an enemy. On this view, they
perceive (rightfully, I think) that I detest preten-
tiousness, and that I'm not afraid of puncturing their
balloons. When I was a small boy, my mother was always
complaining about people she considered "phonies", and
though I didn't realize what she was getting at until
about age 40, I also have an aversion towards any
authority that appears at all pretentious.
If this is so, then we invariably tangle when they
argue from authority, or seem to be full of themselves,
or in some other way draw fire from me. Were they the
least be insecure (and who among us is not?) then this
could result in my being perceived as a threat.
Even if they weren't the slightest bit insecure, however,
the mere impropriety of a "nobody" challenging a
"somebody" could be seen as insulting. It's been too
long since I've been in school, but isn't that rather
common in academic environments? I might suppose it
to be even truer in European universities, where anyone
who disputed anything Herr Doktor Doktor Hilbert said
would be looked upon as highly presumptuous.
But on the "Envy" side of this same conjecture, it's
possible that it's *me* who is unconsciously envies
people with such titles, claims, or renown. On this
view, I unconsciously but systematically attempt to
attack, reduce, or humiliate persons who happen to
possess advanced degrees in some field of knowledge, or
who proclaim professional competence, or who merely claim
to be highly knowledgeable in some area, or who in some
other way place themselves in a superior position.
The evidence so far known to me: one bit of disconfirming
evidence for the "Pretentious" side is that I have a friend
who is rather more disdainful than I of any sort of
pretentiousness; he was even somewhat embarrassed by
getting his Ph.D. a few years ago. And if anyone were
to address him as Dr. Kimber in a discussion, I think
that he would be mortified. His example tends to show
that I couldn't be *very* extreme in my antipathy towards
titles or renown, at least not compared to some people.
Moreover, I tend to be a "good little boy" and not cause
any problems for people in authority at work, or for the
police and so on. So that makes it more doubtful that I
have traits that people instantly recognize as "anti"-
them. (I confess that this bit of evidence is flattering
to me in some regards, though not in others.)
Another bit of evidence against the "Envy" side of
the coin. I admire absolutely no one that I personally
know as much as I admire Ralph Merkle, and if I were forced
to speak of anyone I know as a hero, it'd be him. Yet
he *does* speak in an authoritative manner every time
he opens his mouth, and if you weren't *listening* to
what he said, you might think him a blowhard. Also, I'm
sure that he has a Ph.D., and I don't doubt that he's shy
about saying so. I don't seem to envy Ralph or be jealous
even a little bit. (He even has liberal tendencies.)
However, this bit of evidence could be explained away
because since the most important "cause" in my life is
cryonics, I have unconsciously rationalized away the
Ralph Merkle case. I don't think so, but it's possible.
Also, about titles, recognition, professional standing,
etc. The above is easy enough for *me* to say; I have
*not* worked my butt off getting an advanced degree, or
membership in a professional organization, or recognition
as an acknowledged expert in anything. It's conceivable
that I would feel very differently if I had.
Lee
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