yeah
i'm going to talk about something different:
the modern jackass -
This American Life last weekend has an episode about what happens when you know just a little about something, but feel qualified to extrapolate an explanation to the questioner.
i'm going to be looking out for this from now on... whether it be me being a modern jackass or someone else.. and when i spot it i'll enjoy myself. in the meanwhile i am expected up on the roof to continue some scraping of moss off the roof.
while i'm gone feel free to discuss.
the modern jackass -
This American Life last weekend has an episode about what happens when you know just a little about something, but feel qualified to extrapolate an explanation to the questioner.
i'm going to be looking out for this from now on... whether it be me being a modern jackass or someone else.. and when i spot it i'll enjoy myself. in the meanwhile i am expected up on the roof to continue some scraping of moss off the roof.
while i'm gone feel free to discuss.
5 Comments:
Brett,
I've yet to hear that episode, but from your description and what little I know, allow me to impart my expert opinion here...
No I'm kidding... but the post begged for me to do that.
We spent the weekend with a friend of ours who's moving to Texas, and he mentioned a website that lists things white people like in an amusing fashion, and one of the items explains that white people like to visit a foreign country for a short period and then act like experts on the area from that point forward.
I'm a total modern jackass. I think it is just being part of the world today. We're inundated with so much information these days it is just natural to try and make sure people know that you know something.
I think it is natural to sound like a jackass when learning new stuff. How many college students spew out the crap they learn before they learn the next thing? Ya know.
But you do know something, as limited as your knowledge may be, it's great than someone who questions, right? How does that make you a jackass?
i've heard of that site that has things white people like... i can't remember if i'm white or not by its standards (i've only been to canada)..
i act like an expert on countries i've never been to (like China) but i'm entitled to that.
i think when you actually do know the things you're learning about and it's not just the blurb from the oversimplified news then you might not sound quite as much like a jackass.. any thoughts?
for instance if i expound on the topic of Tang dynasty Chinese history and its relationship to music in China from that point forward... well, i know what i'm talking about, so would i sound like the modern jackass? or the jackass that no one asked to talk?
I think you'd only sound like a jackass if you...you know...sound like a jackass. Like, if you say it in a condescending, know-it-all sort of way, and you intentionally use unnecessarily academic language. Well, no...I guess I'd label that sort of person as more a "tool" or "douche" than a "jackass." Like EF...you know, from Edens? With the high SAT scores that eeeverybody just haaad to know about? Douche.
I guess you'd only sound like a jackass if you said something that was just WRONG. Or like, skewed factual information so that it wasn't exactly wrong, but so that it proved some point you were trying to make, even though there were gaping holes in your logic. If that makes any sense.
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