Some people would think being smart means talking in big words about things nobody really understands. Of course, if one has learned enough SAT words from their SAT prep course with more than ten letters and is probably pronouncing them correctly (or, in some cases – like I sometimes do – use obsolete, long-dead words or their archaic pronunciation, pour l’amour de l’art (for the love of art), so to say, or, if this is indeed a linguistic troll/punk (as in the music and all, not necessarily the original meaning) – again, like I sometimes am – most likely doing this pour les fleurs de coucou (for no apparent reason).
Many would say intellectual and highly educated people aren’t supposed to be understood or questioned by the uninitiated, the plebeans, the uneducated commoners. Interestingly enough, our societies are as fragmented and divided as they ever were, even if in most countries the old nobility has been devoid of anything but its name.
But, all in all, does the quality of being an intellectual (by constant more or less academic formation) automatically imply snobbery? Does the fact that somebody has a higher-than-average education grant them the right of superiority, of floating in different spheres than everybody else?
What I actually noticed – with myself (I don’t want to be arrogant or anything, but I’m my best test subject so far) and people around me is that the more one reads and the more they understand about the world and all, the simpler is their way of expressing their thoughts and the clearer their word choice. I, for one, prefer well-read people who can break down a complex idea to explain it to a five year old and know themselves so well and accept both their qualities and flaws without any worry or shame and thus are not afraid of laughing of themselves.
What constitutes your idea of an intellectual? What does well-spoken mean to you?
Related articles
