Everyone does it. During the last presidental election, for example, I had a little game of asking someone which candidate they liked better. This was the typical exchange:
Me: Obama or Romney?
Them: Obama, baby!
Me: What do you like about him?
Them: Uh, um, he's a democrat and stuff?
Me: Yup, that's Barack. What do you think about his policies?
Them: Um... Wow, republicans suck! Die, Romney!
At this point in my blog, I wanted to insert a quote by someone smart and preferably famous. So I googled for about 10 seconds and came up with this quote by Alexander Pope, found on Goodreads:
I have next to no idea who Alexander Pope is. I think he wrote or said something about erring and being human, but- Oh, he wrote that in An Essay on Criticism. Wow, I love that!“A little learning is a dangerous thing.
Drink deep, or taste not the Pierian Spring;
There shallow draughts intoxicate the brain,
and drinking largely sobers us again.”
So why are we under this pressure to come across as knowledgeable about our culture? Being culturally literate is a status symbol. It makes people think that you're intelligent and cultured. And it's easier than ever to fake it. Go scan the headlines of the New York Times to get the latest news on Putin being the reincarnation of Hitler, and maybe check out the Joss Whedon version of Much Ado About Nothing on Netflix so you can join the school Shakespeare club.
Do you ever find yourself faking knowledge? Is it a dangerous thing?
Audrey always gets mad when some people with sit with at lunch do this! Now I know what it's called.
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