I’m a snob. I admit it. I dabble in snobbery. I know it’s not always the best course of action and can often lead to awkward social situations and even hurt feelings.
My intentions are never to hurt anyone’s feelings. Truly. I just happen to be particular. I prefer things a certain ways. I have opinions on just about everything, from the clothes people wear (or I wear), to movies, to trends, to politics. I’m a bit of a church snob too, in that, I know what I like and don’t like in a church, for example.
What some people would call snobbery, I call being opinionated and stating your preferences. And as long as it is done so with an air of humility and with the understanding that you can’t take anything to seriously, I say bring on the snob.
Now you might be asking yourself…”Am I a snob too?” “How would I know?” “What does a snob look like?”
Well here are 10 ways too tell if you too might be a bit of a snob…(go ahead, I know you’re curious)1. Your food or drink orders contains three or more steps e.g. “Low fat,” “decaf,” “no foam,” “extra hot,” “on the side,” “no mayo,” “very annoying.” You get the idea.
2. You must have the latest and greatest gadget, do-hickey, or thingamabob, in whatever area of recreation/hobby you enjoy. i.e. You are a tech snob, so you pre-ordered the iPad, before it could even be pre-ordered and then proceeded to traipse around town singing about its coolness. Same goes for clothes, cars, pretty much anything.
3. You have a secret rating scale, rating everything from peoples clothing, to coworkers performance, to your friend’s spouses or significant others. They get a passing grade, or an 8 out of 10, or a thumbs down.
4. You avoid, via manipulation or strategy, visiting certain establishments that you deem uncool. Your mom says “Lets go to Olive Garden for dinner.” You say (manipulatively), “Or let’s try that new place Olive and Ivy (a delicious local joint)…it still has the word “olive” in the title,” thereby secretly advancing your own restaurant agenda.
5. You purport to be an expert in certain areas, even with no formal training or education, simply because you like these things and think that you have earned the right to be an “expert.” For instance, you pretend essentially, to be an expert on movies, and say things like “Well, his first film was quite avant-garde, very noir, but his second film, in my opinion falls short, both in terms of direction and plot.” Umm, can anybody say “snobbish”?
6. No one knows exactly how you might respond to a new trend or event because you yourself don’t even know yet. Not until you have witnessed or experienced something fully can you make up your mind…then and only then will something be worthy of your praise, or not. You can not be persuaded by others either. You decide if something is cool. You and you alone.
7. You exclaim that certain duties are not within your job description. For example, you don’t do dishes, or yard work, or fetch coffee, or file papers, or clean windows, or change diapers, or whatever it is you refuse to do.
8. You have or have had people refer to you as “stuck up”, “snobbish”, “elitist”, or “generally snooty”.
9. You avoid tends simply because they are trendy. If everyone likes it you reason, then it must not be very cool. If Glee is en vogue, then out it goes. If Lady Gaga is hot, you find her cold.
10. You tend to state the obvious but say it in such a way as to sound well-informed and ahead of the curve. For example, “Today is going to be hot and sunny, so we should sit in the shade.” Meanwhile those with you are sweating and panting, quite aware that it is hot and sunny.
There you have it, just a few ways to tell if you too might be a snob. Don’t worry, this list does not reflect upon your character. I personally like a little bit of snob in everyone. It keeps things interesting.
What are some others way to tell if you are a snob? Are you guilty of any of these snobbish behaviors? Tell me I’m not the only one.
Pssssst…I have a guest post up today at the lovely, inspiring, missionary blog of Laura Leigh Parker. I’m talking about homeschooling. Oh my. Please stop by and spread some platonic, non-creepy, love.
“What some people would call snobbery, I call being opinionated and stating your preferences.”
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AMEN! Preach it, sister! It’s not that I’m a pompous jerk, (well, not always…), it is more that I am focused, determined, and unwilling to compromise. Period.
#9 is me, as well. But not so much in a pop culture way, (I have no allegiance to the whims and flavor-of-the-month proclivities of pre-teens and girls who want to be on “Jersey Shore”), but in reference to Christianity.
How many “new, cool, cutting-edge, hip, flavor-of-the-moth” movements can we really have? Fah. Rubbish. These people have relied upon making The Gospel into a business organization, a movement, a cause, or a rock concert, all designed to be seeker-sensitive and to gain sycophants. Double fah.
So you’re a snob. Okay. You pull it off so well, though. and with such elan. :)
Donald,
You? A snob in reference to Christianity? No way… I don’t believe it, not for one second…
Oh, who am I kidding.
I of course share your sentiments. Boo to big business churches, rock-star pastors, pew warmers, and seeker-friendly dribble.
Were the disciples “church snobs?”…hmm…
“Hmmm…”, indeed, Donald contemplates as he rubs his goateed chin…
There might be a blog topic in there somewhere.
I think I’m safe!
Really? Awesome. You can be my one snob-free friend!
Definitely guilty of some of these behaviors!I already had an inkling I was a bit of a snob, but I prefer your definition of openly stating one’s preferences.
1) NO 2) NO 3) NO
4) Absolutely! I avoid Starbucks like the plague, luckily there is a great little coffee shop near my house so I always use location as an excuse.
5) I might be guilty of this, but I’ll never admit it!
6)Definitely, I like to try things for myself and not trust someone else’ review. Is this snobbish or just wise? ;)
7)Nope
8)Only when it comes to wine and coffee!
9)Yes, I have friends who find this annoying, but I definitely avoid jumping on most bandwagons! And as Donald stated I’m weary of anything that tries to market Christianty as new, hip, or relevant.
10)nope
Fun topic! I’m usually only called a snob by my closest friends and it is done with much affection!
Oh my. Such a snob. I can’t even believe I read your blog you are so rife with snobbiness. :)
Carla,
You sound very balanced and healthy. I am mildly annoyed and wildly jealous of that fact.
I’m not so sure about that, but I’ll take your jealousy and gloat in it! muahahaha!
Oh I am a bit of a music snob, I have a hard focusing on worship at any church because I’m always noting the the tone, pitch, and tempo of the church singers. I spent too many years in choir, I always have to remind myself not to critique worship leaders! So there’s a notch off of the healthy/balanced persona!
Whew! Good, we at least share a snobbish view of bad worship music/leaders. I actually have to pray during painful worship music. My judgmental bone surges.
Painful worship story:
A local Calvary Chapel church…Good Friday service…out of tune, no rhythm, no cohesion, terrible sound board mix, and to top it off, a guy playing a recorder (like we had in 4th grade music class) who decided it was better to “free flow” than to actually play the sheet music.
The assembled crowd at the service was painfully silent. Not due to a lack of desire to worship, but due to the fact it SUCKED so bad.
Worship may not be “about the music”, but come on….if the music is awful, worship is difficult. You know it, I now it, we all know it. Making a joyful noise is a polite sentiment, but in real life it stinks.
Yep, I’m a snob too. I used to take less than a minute to listen to a new CD. If the intro to the song didn’t grab me in the first 10 seconds or so, I probably wasn’t interested.
Gah! My wife and I are food snobs. I’ll admit that we actively try to avoid Olive Garden specifically. Her family loves it. We know better. ;)
From one food snob to another, I salute you. Olive Garden…may it never be!
If the Italian cuoci who trained me even thought I would attend an Olive Garden to actually eat, they would scream “Oh, Madonna!” in unison and fly over here to slap me about the head and shoulders with a beautiful pork salumi.
No, seriously.
I confess to being a total church snob. This one has crappy music (in my snobbified opinion), that one is too big or informal or judgemental or not engaged in social justice enough or . . . .
Ugh. And I think usually my snobbery leads to me being even MORE isolated than I was before.
Yep, I think I’m a snob. 1, 5, 6, 8, and 9 – I don’t watch tv, listen to the radio, etc (can’t you hear the snob coming out in me?).
I am definitely a church snob, which you mentioned at the beginning of the blog. I’ve been to churches with a lot of hype, and when they get on the platform and say all excitedly: “Isn’t it exciting to be in the house of God today?” several things go through my mind: “This is a building, we the people are the house of God,” or “can we not be excited about God, do we have to be excited about this weekly social event?”
And that’s before the pastor even gets up there…
OKAY, did you just peer into my brain? I do so many of these things it’s ridiculous. I also knew I was a snob, too hard to admit though!
I am such a snob!
me too…and I kind of love it.
Yep I’m definitely a snob. Good article and I like the blog – just found it. Thanks.
I am a beer snob. I love dark beer, and totally judge those who drink light beer. ;)
Steph! Yes, I love that and I’m not gonna lie, I think you’re right to judge them.
WOW, you nasty little person! There was absolutely no need to judge Nicole like that, you don’t even know her in real life you moron. How dare you come on this site calling a random person abusive names who has done nothing to make you treat them that way & also when you’ve never interacted with them. Seriously, I think you lack tact & the ability to think thoroughly before casting your so called “opinions”.
Charlotte,
For someone who, it seems, has only visited this site once you sure have come a lot of wrong conclusions quite quickly. I’m not even sure what you are talking about, to be honest.
I admit, in this post, that I have personally been acting like a jerk lately, but does that mean I am suppose to berate or belittle my readers? It’s called encouragement and edification (to build someone up, not tear them down). These are Christian values that I subscribe to and practice.
As for a social life outside of this blog, what does that matter? I’m not even sure why you asked or why you care. This blog is 2 years old and has a dedicated community and following. I don’t spend every waking minute on here and I have a very busy social and church life outside of this blog.
And contrary to what you again assume, Modern Reject is a site for socializing. This is a place where people can discuss, debate, share, receive prayer, and be open, but this is all done in love and respect–something you could perhaps learn a bit about.
Omfg are you guys like All Christians? And why does everyone talk about Church All the time? Thats just shit….
Do all Americans believe in god? Hahahaha
Matthew,
Why yes, the group of folks around here tend to be Christians. It may be shit to you, but to some of us, it’s the real deal…or rather Jesus Christ is the real deal.
NICOLE IS AN AMERICUNT. SHE SHOULD BE BURNED TO DEATH, OH YES! HAHAHAHA.
NICOLE, HER HUSBAND & KIDS ALL DESERVE TO BE KIDNAPPED, BEATEN & BURNED ALIVE WHILST HANGING FROM TREES WITH LONG, THICK PIECES OF ROPE HANGING AROUND THEIR NECKS!! OH YES, FOR BEING AMERICUNTS OF COURSE. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA.
You moron. Why wish that on someone you don’t even know? Oh wait, because of their location. Wtf man? Judging people based on where they’re from is well past it’s sell by date so get with the times hun. I mean really, you have guts saying that kind of stuff because you don’t get away with going around saying that stuff. Nicole could very easily phone the police, have you tracked down & punished criminally for what you’ve said about her country. But that’s just what I would advise her to do. Otherwise this person will carry on & move on to god knows how many other people on the internet!
What is the point of having an opinion if you’re not willing to defend it? I think it’s valued to pander to people who lack confidence to the extent that it’s seen as improper to voice your views.
I only got 6/10. So that’s, like, 60 percent. That’s lower than I expected. Definitely only slightly above average. Specifically, #s 1, 3, 4, 5, 8, 9. Okay, sometimes number 10. Closer to 70 percent now. Whew. Thought I was low maintenance for a second!
i have been accused of such… well… c’est la vie…
I am definitely a snob. I eat at Waffle House, Shop almost exclusively at Dollar General and Family Dollar, unless I am feeling extra fancy and then I go to Wal-Mart. Now that Justin Bieber is hated, I might give his music a try. The more Madonna and Gaga are hated, the more I like them. I don’t like Nascar, but I like going to Nascar parties. My kind of people. My beer is Milwaukee’s Best and Burger. I am very picky about hunting knives, must be Gerber or Al-mar. But I still carry a run of the mill Kabar. Whenever I order, I make a point of never asking for modifications. I like Sarah Palin and lean Libertarian. I had to watch Les Miserables twice in order to be convinced that Russel Crowe didn’t need a voice over. None of these things make me a snob. I am a snob because I think these things make me superior.
Well If what is based on this website says I am a snob or stuck up brat then…. I love being a snob, it makes you different and outstanding I don’t give a damn about what others think of me. Hail to the Snobbery
oh god..I’m a total snob.
I admit I may be a bit of a snob. I tend to look down on those who watch reality tv and those who listen to popular chart music today. I can’t help it, I guess it’s because I hate anything cheap or tacky and I also like it when people say please and thank you. Good manners cost nothing. Too many folk today cuss and use offensive language and forget their manners. I’m only in my late 20s still, but people my age are becoming ruder and more loud and unruly as each year passes. If that makes me a snob, I am happy to be a snob.
I’ve been called snobbish (and preppy) by a couple of individuals which lead me to this blog. They said it was due to my behavior. Is it bad to be snobbish or contain qualifications of so?
You can’t proclaim to be a snob without posting your profile…..i.e., where you went to school (Harvard? Community College?), what you look like (are you supermodel good looking? Is your spouse?), where did your spouse go to school? What is your household income? What do you and spouse do for a living? What did your parents do for a living? And so on and so on…..it takes a snob to know a snob…..you can’t really be a snob if you say grew up on the wrong side of the tracks (no offense to anyone who did…..), it’s just that snobbery is about pedigree whether you like it or not……
Wooooow! I so love that snobbish character…like am proud of being one though am humble
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My coworker is a total snob :( I thought we may turn out to be friends despite our differences in values, but then she informed me that I was a bad parent because I wasn’t able to buy my children $300 sneakers. They are 9 and NO that’s not happening, and has no bearing on my ability to parent as well as she does. This coming for a girl that blows entire paychecks on purses and just throws them in a closet that she uses specifically for purses, some never see the light of day again, she just likes buying them and throwing them in the closet. If her boyfriend was to get sick or die she would be on the street, seeing that we make the same wage, but because he makes good money she loves to tell me about every nice thing she has done for everyone that includes spending his money. Newsflash ***It’s not that nice if you have to tell everyone how nice it is.*** I want to grab her face and yell “get educated, your situation is based on luck NOT merit, you could be on the street tomorrow.” I won’t because I know she can’t process it. See I am a little snobbish too ;) The difference between us is that I keep it to myself and she inserts it into every conversation. I thought we might turn out to be friends but now I don’t even want to be in the same room as her, she continually whines that she doesn’t have friends- YOU THINK? I can totally appreciate a little bit of snobbishness about a certain topic, but people like her tear people down to build themselves up, shes just a 35 year old bully with no significant friendships or social skills, that is doing it to herself. I’ll probably get in trouble for laying it out like that but I don’t care since I am just “voicing my opinion” which is hardly ever humble.
I was told today I had changed and then told I was stuck up. I was caught off guard I am 53 and never in 53 years have I been called stuck up and snooty. I’m not sure how to feel about that. I laughed at the thought but then actually it is bothering me.
Very,very helpful site and feedback.Self analysis is never easy but worth indulging in as long as you keep an eye on reality.I was called a snob by my first real partner,she was so right,but in my defence I was so young(20),I lost the partner never to really get over the loss.Forty seven years later it still hurts.If only we could edit out the bad bits of snobbery.Hey ho.James.