I read a blog-post just now and started typing a comment - "idhu vetti scene velamma pethi'oda post, vera'edhum illa. oorukkulla ekka-chakka per indha mari dhan thiriyuranunga..". After a while, I thought I'd rather save it for a post here. Because, it's quite a common phenomenon, not just in blogs.
It's the good old 'I'm going to praise myself under the cloak of confessing my idiocy/phsychosis/neurotic-obsession/misfortune/wantonness' tactic.
"I'm such a geek that I started using Linux in 98"
"I'm such a loser that I paid $4100 for my latest laptop"
"I'm such a TV freak that I bought a 59" LG plasma"
"I'm so unlucky that I have lost my wallet over 50 times during my flight-trips to London"
"My life sucks so much that I studied during my holidays and topped my class"
"I'm so clumsy I ruined my jacket by spilling caviar on it"
"I'm such a man-whore that I have sex with 19 different women every month"
..
and a long list of "confessions" we hear everyday (probably use it ourselves). All these "confessions" just say one thing - "I'm such a modest wuss that I resort to cheap hackneyed techniques to feed my own ego."
Do/say whatever you want to. Just know that almost everyone knows what you're doing, they are just in a mode themselves - "I'm so nice that I'll pretend like I didn't see through you." So just say it; just say "I'm the shit!"
* - I haven't linked the post to avoid another episode of 'local paaltix' driven squabble (yes, I'm scared). I'll say this much, though: it was about the author's obsession with Harry Potter novels.
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7 comments:
As far as I know, Kiruba does that (without class). Nilu does that, people rarely figure that out. And I did it, just now.
Am surprised.
Why did some 'supposed' bragging by someone in their blogs appear so offensive to you?
After all, we can never conclusively say if the stress in the sentence was meant to fall on 'tv freak' or '59" LG plasma', can we?
I can understand the irritation at hypocrites, but saying, "So just say it; just say "I'm the shit!" ?
the individualist:
It isn't so much the hypocrisy that irritates me (i can't speak for suresh), but the use of a language and technique that is outdated to convey a message. It gets more irritating when jaalraas come and praise the writer for that cliched thing he wrote.
Ofcourse I can stop visiting the blog. But it is good to remind myself of the pieces of shit out there in the universe.
-Nilu is God.
@ Sudhir - It's not offensive as much as it is irritating. I don't think we need to get overly gracious about what their intentions were, for it's not a matter of tone or intonation. The fact that two diametrically opposed characteristics, represented by few or more nouns, is present in the same sentence gives it away. There's no hiding that. And as Peelu has pointed out, the technique is the cousin of an extremely outdated and now-openly-ridiculed practice -- 'fishing for compliments.'
Ex:
A: romba nallaa paadreenga
B: ada neenga vera, nan chumma poi kathittu vandhen
A: cha! appo neenga nejamaave try panni paadina eppudi irukkum?
(but, if I happen to be A)
A: appo ni kathunadhukku kai thatnavan ellam madayana?
It's the same feeling here. It's not hypocrisy, it's unprofessional connivance that serves a petty purpose -- upholding one's low self esteem. It's their assumption that we are dumb enough to buy it.
I'm saying it so that at least those who read this post will know that their tactic is not actually working. And to make sure that if (and when) I indulge myself, one (or more) of the readers embarrasses me.
Either way, this claptrap has to stop.
@ peelu - Kiruba has been caught in the act several times (because, as you say, he makes it obvious).
Nilu's trend is not outdated yet. In fact it's been around just for the past decade or so (since the rise of 'gangsta' rap). People being openly sexist and misogynistic where/when it doesn't matter.
It's the new badass-wannabe trend that's supposed to bring this reaction, "Oh my gawd! did you see that? he's such a badass! he's so freaking cool. I dig it when he calls us bitches and 'hos" - "oh yeah, he's got balls". He's the guy who'll sell out but will be the first to announce it: that's how badass he is!
As relatively new as it may be, a lot of 'badass-wannabe wannabes' weakened the technique because of their ineffective practice ('I' is one such).
vidu vidu...
I was just surprised that some irrelevant individual, with a low self-esteem, fishing for compliments, managed to evoke such a strong reaction in you.
And yes, I see what you mean.
I know who you're talking about, it's this post mainly and you have also alluded to hawkeye, right?
eppudi maati uttuten paathiya?
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