Ode to Arrogance
In honor of being called arrogant three times this week-end, I decided to look into the word.
Arrogant; adj.
1) making claims or pretensions to superior importance or rights; (Note: this is my job as a lawyer, arguing that my client's rights supersede the rights of another, that their interests in the name of justice are more IMPORTANT than another's, where that "another" can be the government, a corporation, or a landlord)
Thought experiment: Isn't is a bit "arrogant" to eat meat? Dairy products? Isn't this a mode of living where one decides that their interests, their body, is more important than another sentient being's?
2) overbearingly assuming; granted overbearing is always bad (although lawyers take an oath to "zealously" represent the interests of their clients). What about "assuming"? Well, assuming means among other things presumptuous. What does presumptuous mean then? Presumptuous mean overstepping due bounds (as of propriety or courtesy). In our culture do we really think we have boundaries on people's actions besides what the law prescribes. Does America really have a strong social code, especially compared to other countries like Japan, Switzerland or Saudi Arabia? When I see my neighbor, do I stop to ask about their day? When I enter another's house, is there a prescribed etiquette? Eat with acquaintances? No, in America there is but one rule... we are a free country. You can do anything the law allows you to get away with. So honk your horns, water your Californian lawns, throw away your cans, eat with your hands without washing them, drive a gas guzzling vehicle...
3) insolently proud; Is the line between proud and confident clear? Does it depend on cultural context? For example, I have had the experience that sometimes I found the French very arrogant i.e overbearing and obstinate. Do the French consider themselves as arrogant or is their spectrum of "confidence" and pride" different then ours?
Arrogant; adj.
1) making claims or pretensions to superior importance or rights; (Note: this is my job as a lawyer, arguing that my client's rights supersede the rights of another, that their interests in the name of justice are more IMPORTANT than another's, where that "another" can be the government, a corporation, or a landlord)
Thought experiment: Isn't is a bit "arrogant" to eat meat? Dairy products? Isn't this a mode of living where one decides that their interests, their body, is more important than another sentient being's?
2) overbearingly assuming; granted overbearing is always bad (although lawyers take an oath to "zealously" represent the interests of their clients). What about "assuming"? Well, assuming means among other things presumptuous. What does presumptuous mean then? Presumptuous mean overstepping due bounds (as of propriety or courtesy). In our culture do we really think we have boundaries on people's actions besides what the law prescribes. Does America really have a strong social code, especially compared to other countries like Japan, Switzerland or Saudi Arabia? When I see my neighbor, do I stop to ask about their day? When I enter another's house, is there a prescribed etiquette? Eat with acquaintances? No, in America there is but one rule... we are a free country. You can do anything the law allows you to get away with. So honk your horns, water your Californian lawns, throw away your cans, eat with your hands without washing them, drive a gas guzzling vehicle...
3) insolently proud; Is the line between proud and confident clear? Does it depend on cultural context? For example, I have had the experience that sometimes I found the French very arrogant i.e overbearing and obstinate. Do the French consider themselves as arrogant or is their spectrum of "confidence" and pride" different then ours?