This week I had the misfortune of spending time with a man whose ego is so large he probably has to check it as extra luggage when flying the friendly skies. Wallowing in his own sticky brilliance, he is his own most delicious dream.
I've learned that the best way to navigate through the long stuffy halls of condescending dialogue is to humor myself...by sitting back, listening to the twisted world of superiority and nodding my head as if to recitate, "Man, you are a freaking genius! If I EVER get the chance to meet someone by the likes of you again...wait there is NO ONE who possesses the intellect, the power, the supreme ability to over-utilize jargon, pointless theory..."
You get it.
If I can find it funny, I can get through it. Just let them think they're transmitting the almighty word and then move on to quiet laughter in a corner of my mind reserved for just this very thing. In a way, I thoroughly enjoy that the joke is on them.
This person to which I'm referring is so profoundly insulting and demeaning. It's not my opinion alone. It's shared by most who interact with him.
In the end, perhaps it's not my misfortune. It reminds me of the type of person I never want to be. Ever. I hope my friends and family will let me know if I start to cross a doorway into this type of narcissistic abyss.
Until we meet again, I'll say a prayer for him that an awakening occurs. For if you peel through the obnoxious layers, you may find a real person--one who is smart and deserving of praise but one who does not insist we bow before it while acknowledging what hopeless dummies we are in comparison.
9 comments:
I am glad to hear you were able to get through it while laughing to yourself!
Ugh, you made me think of an equally obnoxious guy I in fact just saw this w/e. You're right; you have to laugh at these people. Or you may shoot them.
Laughter is a most powerful antidote, indeed. Glad it cured what ailed you this weekend :)
Ooh, I need to learn this skill. I think I would be a more peaceful person if I could just 'let it ride' when dealing with people like this. I seem to have an abundance of them in my world at this point. Patience is a much needed virtue these days. ;o)
Ugh! I know that I've been that way, myself. I've learned to STFU. If I hear my voice for more than 30 seconds, I stop and then insist on listening to what my conversation partner has to say. It's a little egg timer in my brain. Ding! Time's up. YOUR turn.
And besides, listening takes no effort. Talking takes effort. I'm inherently lazy. I like listening more than talking.
I'm so over ego-maniacal types. Give him 20 cents to go to the store and buy a dose of humility. Jerk.
PS I agree it's ultimately more satisfying to raise an eyebrow, smirk, say no more and move on.
I think I got cornered by him at a Christmas party this year! If I get caught again, I'll remember your technique, maybe it'll make him a little more bearable.
People with giant egos I just tell them to walk sideways when they go out the door because since their head is soooo filled up it wouldn't fit going out the door the way normal people do =P
OMG this reminds me of a thirty-something birthday party in NYC when a friend asked if she could bring a friend unknown to me and I said "Certainly". Her friend, much older than the rest of us, assumed a kingly pose in a prominent position and for the rest of the evening no one got out more than a few words on any topic before Mr Know-It-All hijacked the conversation and told everyone the real story about that subject. I can't imagine finding a way to laugh at this obnoxious person. In fact I still cringe at being reminded of that night. I was mortified because a whole apartment full of my friends and neighbors, mostly professionals from the arts and sciences with fascinating backgrounds, were held hostage by a determined bore. We were young and naively polite then. Today I would be more assertive and find some way to shut him down.
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