Why do so many people hide their shallow nature with feeble attempts at being reflective?
And more importantly, why are there so many more who fall for their “reflections” and term it as deep and meaningful?
It’s not deep and it’s definitely not meaningful. Their reflections deal with the superficial (of course, they all try to sound pensive yet enlightened at the same time) and they all arrive at cliche, run of the mill “revelations”. They pass off the latest “cool” opinions on “cool” issues eg. Prop 8, environmentalism, vegan living, etc. as their own and brainlessly quote whatever examples that they were provided with. Brainless suggests that facts were not verified. They mock others as “third rate citizens*”, “uneducated”, “republican and catholic” and view themselves as somewhat of an intellectual.
Pseudo intellectuals are what they are.
Then comes along all their adoring fans- the wannabe pseudo intellectuals- praising them for having put in words such profound truths that they themselves already know, but alas, are too unskilled to express in such moving prose. And then they go on to feed on each other’s “Yes! Yes! Yes! I know! We are so great and humble and educated and the rest who don’t agree with us are so stupid and proud and bigoted” energy.
And I am irritated by both.
Please tell me that you know what I’m talking about?
*Singaporeans’ favourite. Normally goes like this: World class country, third class citizens when what they actually meant was this -> Oh woe is me, I’m such a talented, bright, thinking thing and I am stucked here with the rest of these PAP-voting fools. I am disgusted by my fellow Singaporeans. They make me embarrassed to be a Singaporean. But of course, I’m not embarrassed of being a Singaporean! Au contraire, I’m proud to be a Singaporean!! Because, you know, it’s popular now to be proud of your own heritage. That whole America-Western-Europe-worshipping is so passe.
X.
