Things That Do Not Impress Me
The ability to use big or uncommon words, especially when you seem to be using them specifically to use them, and often use them wrong.
Having a big and nice place to live when you are extremely rich. If you're extremely rich then I assume that you have a nice place to live. It's not exactly hard to do if you're extremely rich. I might find some aspect of your taste or decorating choices impressive, but simply having a nice place isn't very impressive.
That you have a child or children. Now, if you're raising them well, that will generally impress me a fair bit, raising a child well isn't easy to do. But simply having children is not very impressive, nor does it make me assume that you know what's best for your kids or that you know what you're doing. You might, and I'll hear you out, but you also might not. The moment you give birth or have a woman give birth to your child you do not suddenly become an expert in parenting. That is, in fact, part of what makes raising children so difficult and what makes doing it well so impressive.
That you have a high IQ. ... Okay, so do tons of people I know, so you have all this potential... what have you done with it? This isn't that different from having a lot of money, quite nice, but I'll judge you on how you're using it.
That your friends think you are a good person. Most people, even really crappy ones, can find some people who think they are a good person. In fact, there are groups specifically designed to let awful people socialize with each other and work toward their awful agendas together. If you're awful in the right way, it can be easy to find like-minded friends. If you need to resort to informing people that your friends think you're actually quite good, there is already reason to doubt. Sure, you might actually be great and wonderful, great and wonderful people are sometimes disliked for numerous reasons, but this isn't much in the way of evidence.
Other things I can't think of offhand. But there is this interesting social phenomenon that happens sometimes when someone seems to be trying to talk about something about themselves or some issue where the underlying message seems to be: aren't I impressive and one of the really amazing people because of this? And then when I am busy simply not being impressed, and they seem so confused that my habits do not involve being impressed by such things. Although I suppose it's a lot less fun in the other direction, but then, you shouldn't expect to impress everyone, even if you have done something genuinely impressive.
Having a big and nice place to live when you are extremely rich. If you're extremely rich then I assume that you have a nice place to live. It's not exactly hard to do if you're extremely rich. I might find some aspect of your taste or decorating choices impressive, but simply having a nice place isn't very impressive.
That you have a child or children. Now, if you're raising them well, that will generally impress me a fair bit, raising a child well isn't easy to do. But simply having children is not very impressive, nor does it make me assume that you know what's best for your kids or that you know what you're doing. You might, and I'll hear you out, but you also might not. The moment you give birth or have a woman give birth to your child you do not suddenly become an expert in parenting. That is, in fact, part of what makes raising children so difficult and what makes doing it well so impressive.
That you have a high IQ. ... Okay, so do tons of people I know, so you have all this potential... what have you done with it? This isn't that different from having a lot of money, quite nice, but I'll judge you on how you're using it.
That your friends think you are a good person. Most people, even really crappy ones, can find some people who think they are a good person. In fact, there are groups specifically designed to let awful people socialize with each other and work toward their awful agendas together. If you're awful in the right way, it can be easy to find like-minded friends. If you need to resort to informing people that your friends think you're actually quite good, there is already reason to doubt. Sure, you might actually be great and wonderful, great and wonderful people are sometimes disliked for numerous reasons, but this isn't much in the way of evidence.
Other things I can't think of offhand. But there is this interesting social phenomenon that happens sometimes when someone seems to be trying to talk about something about themselves or some issue where the underlying message seems to be: aren't I impressive and one of the really amazing people because of this? And then when I am busy simply not being impressed, and they seem so confused that my habits do not involve being impressed by such things. Although I suppose it's a lot less fun in the other direction, but then, you shouldn't expect to impress everyone, even if you have done something genuinely impressive.