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"Pretentiousness"

All Acting Regiment

22:36 / 29.12.06

I was thinking about this in terms of art/music/books/theory- but heck, it could fit into magic and religion and just basic social issues too.

I've been thinking lately about the diea of "pretentiousness". Does pretense occur? Is there such a thing? Are those who accuse others of it pretentious themselves? Is it pretentious to claim to be unpretentious? And what's wrong with being pretentious anyway, or, who says that whatever you're "pretending" to be is so beyond your limits in the first place?

All Acting Regiment

14:18 / 30.12.06

I'll bump this, as I oddly posted it last night without realising how late it was...

StarWhisper

14:42 / 30.12.06

Pretention at its best is like an art. I am loathe to reveal my secrets however.

All Acting Regiment

15:14 / 30.12.06

What, double-posting and spelling "loath" wrong?

StarWhisper

15:21 / 30.12.06

See what I mean?

But I never pretended like I could spell. I could type everything into Word first check it if I wanted to be artful.

However if you do this you will find the spelling of loathe in this manner is acceptible.

ible

ense of humor

I know, I know. I've rotted my own thread, too...

Papess

16:28 / 30.12.06

So, let me get this straight, eirdandfracar...

You are claiming to have a sense of humour because you spelled "acceptable" incorrectly?

Now, that is pretentious.

Mistoffelees

17:03 / 30.12.06

Meh, I´d might as well post that photoshop, I did a couple of days ago.

All Acting Regiment

17:28 / 30.12.06

Yeah, you with your airs and graces.

Mistoffelees

17:48 / 30.12.06

Thank you kindly. At least, I try...

StarWhisper

18:09 / 30.12.06

I feel victimised.

This is an interesting topic, however. I simply took pretentiousness to mean when somebody makes a claim to knowledge they do not possess or is unbearably ostentatious.

I think many people use the term to describe things that are highbrow or otherwise intellectual. I'm not sure if this really justified, especially as it smacks of inverted snobbery.

I'd never really thought about it before, although it does seem a tad unjustified to call someone pretentious because they like poetry or are interested in sociology for example.

Am I right in supposing that a label of pretension might be applied to something as a defence against a feeling of inadequacy?

All Acting Regiment

18:18 / 30.12.06

I think so. In my experience, I also think "pretentious" is a term one might use when faced with something that has some sort of flaw or fault, but one which I am not knowledgeable enough to locate correctly- something about the poem/book/person/film etc is throwing me off, but I can't quite put my finger on what it is, doing so would require hard work on my part, it is easier to call it pretentious.

Papess

18:41 / 30.12.06

I feel victimised

ense of humour?

People tend to label something pretentious when they cannot appreciate the subtlety or complexity of the subject at hand, and that can be dismissive, thus pretentious. However, if subject is most certainly pretentious, then it lacks the actual complexity that superficially, the subject gives the appearance of having.

How is that for pretentious?

StarWhisper

19:17 / 30.12.06

%I feel victimised%

*Sigh*

stabbystabby

22:28 / 30.12.06

Loath is the correct spelling in this case - here's the definition.

also, it's is the contraction of it is - the possessive is its.

now, what were we talking about?

Quantum

01:48 / 31.12.06

Pretentious? Moi?

StarWhisper

14:20 / 07.01.07

ARRRRRRRRRRGHHHHHHHHHH

The Apostrophe Watch!! Noooooooo-oooooooooo-oooo

It's off to the gulag with me then.

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