Friday, November 1, 2013

Words of few syllables: elitism

No matter what I'm saying or doing, somebody somewhere knows more about it than I do. Having that fact pointed out may embarrass me, but it does not constitute elitism on the part of the person who pointed it out. It's just a fact, whether the subject is lawn care, genealogy, quantum physics, fashion, making a pie, lepidoptera, or muscle cars.

If I don't like the fact, in today's world I can readily find many ways to learn more. If I choose not to learn more, then I need to become comfortable with where I have chosen to stop.




Photo credit: loop_oh's photostream, Rupert Ganzer (http://www.flickr.com/photos/loop_oh/5042656542 : viewed 29 October 2013), per Creative Commons

Harold Henderson, "Words of few syllables: elitism," Midwestern Microhistory: A Genealogy Blog, post no. 1270, posted 1 November 2013 (http://midwesternmicrohistory.blogspot.com : viewed [date]). [Please feel free to link to the specific post if you prefer.]

3 comments:

Unknown said...

Other than genealogy, I don't think there are many people out there who know LESS than I do about the subjects you named. (Although I was a tiny bit proud that I know what the word lepidoptera means. )
In the area where I do have considerable knowledge - genealogy - I still am constantly learning from my colleagues and friends. Rock on, Harold!

Melanie D. Holtz, CG said...

So true, Harold. Constructive criticism usually serves to make me rise higher, although I may privately feel embarrassment at the necessity.

I enjoy your blog!

Harold Henderson said...

Thanks, Dawne and Melanie. Indeed, constructive criticism is not easy to come by (could be another blog post...).