The word "snobbery" is not found in modern speech infrequently, but the phenomenon it denotes can be found in any society. Snob considers himself superior to others because of his belonging to a special clan, the collective. He believes that he is worthy of respect, although in fact pride, arrogance and conceit of a snob pushes people away from him and cause irritation.
Snobbery - what is it?
Reflecting on this, snobbery - what it is, one should turn to the etymology of this word. Concerning the origin of the word "snobbery" there are different versions, but all of them boil down to the fact that some person put himself above others. In the lexicon this word was fixed in the 18-19 centuries, when they said that snobbery is a desire to belong to a higher society. And the snob was often from the simpler sections of the population, but in every possible way tried to be known as a man from the highest circles.
Snobbery can be designated as ranking of surrounding people. Depending on the rank assigned to a person, the snob chooses the manner of communication with him. His communication is selective: a disdainful manner with those below the rank, and ingratiating with those in whose circle he wants to enter. This manner of behavior can be combined with tactlessness and inadequacy in relation to the surrounding people.
Snobbery can develop in one of the spheres or combine a complex:
- aesthetic snobbery;
- intellectual snobbery;
- snobbery of wealthy people;
- professional snobbery.
Aesthetic snobbery - what is it?
By virtue of their profession, the people of art are characterized by aesthetic snobbery. They consider themselves more intelligent, intelligent and educated, rather than representatives of other professions. As a result, there is a special layer of society, whose snobbery is pronounced and combined with stellar illness . The effect of snobbery is the cause of the birth of falsehood, conceit and confidence in its superiority.
The causes of snobbery
There are different reasons for the occurrence of snobbery:
- a family in which everything was imbued with snobbery;
- provincial snobbery can grow out of a desire to escape from the "village" environment;
- collective influence at work;
- selfishness, for which a person does not see the feelings and desires of other people;
- narrowness and rigidity of thinking, as a result of which the snob considers only certain behavior and character traits to be correct and important;
- understated self-esteem, which a person tries to compensate by artificial increase of his status and humiliation of others.
Snobbery are signs
Snob is a person who considers himself exceptional and worthy of greater respect than others, therefore the main signs of a snob are:
- different attitudes towards people of different categories;
- faked sophistication;
- confidence that only his point of view is the most correct;
- Disregard for people who do not correspond to the ideas and intellectual level of the snob;
- attributing themselves to a special clan, intellectual elite, the cream of society;
- Insensitivity to other people's problems and experiences;
- heightened self-esteem.
Snobbery - good or bad?
Snobbery is an ambiguous concept, but sociologists still tend to attribute snobbery to a negative phenomenon in society. According to psychology, snobs are people with a predominant visual vector. They like to surround themselves with beautiful things and nice people. They delicately feel the beauty of nature, like to visit museums, read art books, go to theaters. They do not like uncivil behavior, rudeness, informal trends, low-grade art. This positive side of snobbery, but it leads to negative consequences.
Snobs distinguish themselves in a special, priority class in society. Considering themselves an elite, all those who do not correspond to their ideas, they can put in anything. Other people for them are second-rate people, worthless and unworthy of attention. In addition, snobs are opponents of everything new, non-standard, non-traditional. They argue that only a classical culture and generally accepted traditions deserve the attention of an educated person. Although they themselves do not always have real knowledge in the field of culture.
Snobbery and hypocrisy
Snob and a prude are two different concepts. They are confused with each other for the reason that both the first and the second consider themselves above others and look at others with disdain. Otherwise, these concepts diverge. Snob sincerely believes that he is better than others, morally purer and more cultured. He seeks to communicate only with his own kind and tries to meet their standards.
Unlike a snob, a prude does not have certain standards for himself. His demands relate to other people whom he wants to teach life, makes comments to them. Hanja is a two-faced man with double standards. He does not see his mistakes, but he always notices the oversights and sins of others. He teaches the people around him, trying to show himself and others about his sinlessness, knowledge or high tastes.