Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with snobbery

"Don't be a jerk"?

mpls2 — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 08:39:31 -0800

Something about a wise man and fools? I'm looking for a quote that I originally heard from (of all people) Mystery, of "The Game" and VH1 fame. It's something about wise men and fools, and then moral is that stuck up people who think they're better than others are the real fools.

Thanks!

How much does degree name recognition matter?

Anonymous — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 10:26:29 -0800

Is it worth it to transfer to a school with a recognizable name to finish my degree? Prompted by this.
I'm two or three semesters away from completing biology/chemistry degrees at the local You-Never-Heard-Of-It State U. I don't want to go to grad school/medical school (but this may change if I can't earn enough money to service my loan).

Will it be easier for me to find a job if I transfer to a school with a national reputation to finish up my last 25-35 credits? If I decide to go to graduate school, will it increase my chances of being accepted to a competitive program, or my chances of getting a desirable fellowship?
My record is pretty much sterling; mainly, I worry that I'm shortchanging myself by pouring a huge amount of effort (and money) into an 'inferior' degree. Is this rank snobbery, or will the (relatively small, it seems) extra investment involved in transferring and mopping up a few lost credits make a meaningful difference in my life after I graduate?

(This is anonymous because I feel like a status-obsessed heel even for asking.)

sophisticolism

gally99 — Thu, 20 Jul 2006 02:42:28 -0800

I'm going to a beer tasting, help me sound like I'm fancy. I'm getting a tour of a local brewery, and then there's a tasting of all the beers they make.
I'm looking to impress whatever ladies are present.
I've been on a couple wine tasteings, and I know things like "a good nose" means "this wine spells expensive".
I'm just looking for things like that.
Either said ladies will think I'm sophisticated, or I can turn it into a decent joke.

Are snobs the new dinosaurs?

grumblebee — Wed, 10 May 2006 11:17:41 -0800

Who is buying music by Shostakovich, watching silent movies, and reading Thackeray? I love classical music, old movies and classic literature. But most of my peers prefer pop music, contemporary films, and graphic novels. So when I want to talk about my passions, I usually have to find someone older than me (I'm 40).

My question is, when I'm 70 and all my elders are dead, will I have anyone to talk to? I know that the big media stores have classical sections -- sometimes quite large -- but who is shopping there? Does classical music sell to people under 30? If not, are we losing our past? Will interest in older works fade to nothing? (I suspect there will always be an audience for Beethoven's 9th Symphony, but what about more obscure pieces that aren't used in commercials or movie soundtracks?)

For a while I suspected that the classics might get lost for a while and then re-discovered, but now I wonder. Often things from the past become trendy in the present, but it's usually stuff from the RECENT past -- like 60s fashions coming back. No one ever wears Elizabethan clothes, unless they're in a play.

So have I just been unlucky in the people I've met? Are there actually tons of 40-year-olds, listening to Mahler and watching Billy Wilder films -- AND passing that love onto their children?

I know some of you could reply to this by saying, "I'm 23, and I love classical music." That's great, but it's not what I'm looking for. I KNOW there are exceptions, and I suspect Metafilter members to be exceptions. I'm talking about general trends. How much of a dinosaur am I?

Pour me a drink...

ObscureReferenceMan — Mon, 02 Jan 2006 19:52:46 -0800

Anyone know anything about decanting? Wine, liquor, etc. I recently bought three beautiful crystal decanters at auction (my first - interesting experience). They are nice to look at, and are on display in the china cabinet, but what are the particulars on decanting? From what little I've read (via google), most wines nowadays don't need to be decanted - except maybe port. But I like the idea of presenting wine nicely. And what about liquor? We know the cliche scene; rich man in his study pours himself a glass of something (whiskey? scotch?) from the fancy decanter. Is this for real? How long do various potables "last" in a decanter - days? Weeks? Longer? And what about cleaning them? Rinse a lot? Soap and water? Alcohol? No, really...

Graphic Novels for Snobs

grumblebee — Mon, 25 Apr 2005 13:31:53 -0800

I'm a snob. What graphic novels should I read? Okay, I'm poking fun at myself (and hoping not to offend -- I can't help liking the things I like).

People keep telling me that certain graphic novels are masterpieces, but when I read them, I don't like them. I keep wondering what their criteria are for judging a book a work of genius. Do they mean "it's a masterpiece compared with other comic books" or "it's a masterpiece compared with any work or literature"? Because I don't care how something ranks within the comic-book world. I just want to read good stories. I'm convinced there MUST be good stories in graphic novel form.

The art is important to me, but the story is more important (by story, I mean plot / character / writing style). One thing I HATE: when the art simply illustrates the prose. If a character says, "look, there's a giant monster," then the artwork better give me some additional information -- not just show me a giant monster. The art and prose must play off each other to form a whole. They story should be impossible to follow if you take either away.

I know about (and like) Ghost World, Lynda Barry and Chris Ware.

My literary tastes include classics (Shakespeare, Chekhov, Jane Austen), really well-written genrea novels (Hammet, Kim Stanley Robinson), and well-crafted "middlebrow" novels (Margaret Atwood, Ann Tyler, John Updike). TV I watch includes "Deadwood" (my favorite), "The Sopranos," old British series like "Upstair Downstairs" and "I, Claudius" and "Freaks and Geeks."

I dislike camp.