I’ll speculate that many have a tendency to scoff and perhaps belittle as a default knee-jerk reaction. People may be unaware of the limits of their knowledge and self-diagnose more than a little prematurely a know-it-all omniscience. Because I once worked in academia, I have met many pompous people along the way who rated themselves. I observed a willingness to soap box on matters outside their subject area, with an assertiveness inconsistent with their actual depth of know how.
A couple of years back in conversation I asked an ex-student what his maths was like in order to try to explain something. I wanted to know what “language” to use. He was very circumspect because he had attended my matrix heavy chemical group theory course. He sensed that he could be digging himself a hole and stopped.
A lot of people have a braggadocio which when tested is found groundless.
I have an ongoing problem which is not massive.
Here in France a fair proportion of Brits make little or no effort with the French language. This makes them seem a little stupid and illogical. Around here anyway the housing is relatively cheap and thus the British people who live here are not financially loaded. There is some small correlation between wealth and intelligence. My prejudice is that the French have a low bar when it comes to their assessment of Brits, they do not think us smart, the French can be arrogant.
I’ll speculate with a high confidence that most of the locals round here have no experience of dealing with a former academic from a world top ten science university and a high tech. entrepreneur to boot.
There is a catch twenty-two. If we are interacting, how do I make them aware of what they are dealing with? They have no personal experience. I can offer them a wiki write up of Imperial College in French. This makes them think me weird. They read it cursorily. Then when they try for example, sales pressure manipulation and I assert back they are surprised. I say I did try to warn you. But you did not listen or try to figure out where I was coming from.
In a conversation about a house sale, I said; “I have absolutely no wish to discuss this endlessly over and over.”
The first offer had been at 60% of the sale price for our house and they kept edging up ten grand at a time. The phrase fuck off came to mind.
The negotiator said, “This is France, that is what we do. Il faut discuter.”
The conversation did not go further.
How do you explain to people that they don’t know what they are getting in to and that there is a shed load of things which they know nothing about? If you try you are not believed people can be very adamant and unaware of their ignorance. Is it even worth trying?
A cursory look at social media suggests that adamant self-diagnosed omniscience is a widespread phenomenon. There has never been so many experts pedalling stuff from their soap boxes and otherwise gobbing off.
Are we not blessed to live in an age like this?
Dreamyoga 