A Scholarly Discussion....

Here's the problem with scholarly discussions:  Someone always thinks that they are more right than the other person.   How they deal with this fact says a lot about their personality.  I used to be really bad about this.  As in, I would take it very personally if someone disagreed with my stance, and all I could think of was hitting them over the head with facts until they realized that I was right and they were wrong.

I think I've matured.  I know I've matured.  At this point for the most part I really don't give a crap what people think they know.  I know what I know.  If they think something else, I try to explain to them their incorrectness, and they choose to ignore that, its their problem, not mine.

Here is a problem I have sometimes though (particularly at work.)  People talk about things with me, say what they think, state what they think is fact (not opinion, which is completely different, and for another post).  Now,  I'm going to try to not blow too much smoke up my own ass, but I read a lot, have a better than average grasp of science and mathematics, graduated from engineering school with a damn good GPA and truly make an effort to continue educating myself almost every day.  When some idiot comes up to me and says something like "I don't believe in evolution" I just brush it off.  There is no reasoning with people like that.  If you don't believe in evolution, good for you.  But you really sound pretty ignorant to pretty much everyone north of West Virginia, and most of the people south of there too.

Here is my big problem:  People make statements of fact that I KNOW are incorrect.  I try to, as nicely as I can, explain the actual situation to them.  I'm not trying to be a smart ass.  I'm not trying to make them look dumb.  Just the opposite really, I'm trying to make it so they don't make the same incorrect statement again.  What I get sometimes is "Oh really?  I didn't know that."  Which is great.  What I get a lot (again, particularly at work) is "What are you some kind of know it all?"

Yes.  I'm a know it all.  Because I know something that you don't know, I'm a know it all.  I'm not more educated, or better at remembering things.  I'm a know it all.  This drives me crazy, because it is really more about them trying to save face for being completely wrong than it is about me, but the fact that I am put down in some way for being educated is just obnoxious.  It drives me nuts.  With friends I can swing back, at work, I have to bite my tongue and say nicely "Well, what I said is true.  You can look it up if you want."

I'm going to write what I'd like to say right here: "Am I a know it all?  No, I just know that you are wrong.  There is no reason to be an obnoxious prick just because you don't know what the fuck you're talking about.  You COULD be mature, learn something and not look like a dumb shit the next time the subject comes up, or you could sit here and call me a know it all if it makes you feel better.  Either way, I really don't give a fuck, but for the record, you are wrong, and I am right, and if you spent 3 seconds looking that shit up instead of giving me crap, you might be better off for it.  Only a person as ignorant as you could possibly begin to think that they "know it all."  ASSHOLE!"

I'm better now......Perhaps I should just let people continue to be misinformed...

P.S. I have another date with Caitlin this weekend.   :)

One of these days I will stop worrying like an asshole and realize that not everyone doesn't like me.