condescension(?)
what i’m about to write reminds me of this piece i wrote in 2016.
it’s year end, and amidst the flurry of activities and moments of reflection, some bibliophiles took to their socials to share how much they’ve read over the course of the year. unsurprisingly, the non-readers jumped in to dispute certain claims without basis while high-fiving themselves with uninformed takes on reading.
i condensed my read of what was going on into this tweet. it was an observation about how unprovoked reactions often reveal insecurities. if anything, a more accurate articulation of it could have said, “your real problem might be with yourself…”. i followed it up by acknowledging my own limitations.
someone replied. their argument is a time management concern. it’s a pseudo-anonymous handle i have come across a few times. previous context indicates someone who is online more often than not. precious time that could be spent reading if it was a desire, so i checked their profile, and the answer to their question was right there. my response attempted to make the question answer itself by creating a contrast between my observation and the concern expressed. the guy thought the callout was unnecessary, and then i saw this.
The so called progressives that think themselves better than others are always the worst of the bunch with their warped views on morality and how humanity works and always show themselves as the hypocrites they are and I’m always here to point it out.
— S (@Th3Herbalist) December 31, 2024
it essentially deflected things into ideological territory, abandoning an engagement with the concrete observation for an escalation into accusations about moral superiority and progressive hypocrisy. clearly, they are unable to realize how this ironically demonstrates the kind of non-analytical thinking that could have been helped by reading.
this pattern of converting specific, measurable critique into broad ideological conflict is particularly interesting. it suggests a certain discomfort with direct, evidence-based criticism - as though acknowledging the validity of the observation would require confronting uncomfortable truths; in this case, about personal productivity.
it is worth noting that a past partner of mine once used the term “condescension” to describe my communication. the litmus test ultimately became how i would perceive it if i were on the receiving end. the answer is unequivocally as the matter-of-fact statement that it is. anything beyond a reflection on the uncomfortable truth unveiled, especially if irrefutable, will be an appeal to something indicative of an encumbering bias.