On Smartypants Taxation
I recently used the word “absolutist” in a conversation with a total stranger. Just getting lunch at a cafe/diner, and some spontaneous chit-chat comes up with the next table. During the exchange I jokingly say, “yeah, I don’t mean to be absolutist about it or anything”. I no longer remember the subject under discussion.
the friendly stranger paused and sort of conversationally side-stepped the word. the word “absolutist” conveys the gist of its meaning even if you don’t specifically know it, so i don’t think this maneuver was about protecting pride/ego or anything. actually, just the opposite. they were trying to avoid judging me. the word “absolutist” carries a smartypants tax, despite not being particularly inscrutable (another taxable word). if one were to stop random people in the jungle of the world, you could conceivably NEVER have a need for the term “absolutist”.
I make note, I guess, because in hindsight I realize once the word left my lips I was a smartypants asshole. And in that moment, with that friendly stranger, there was no way to prove myself otherwise. Perhaps another time, in another conversation, with another stranger I could properly proffer my relatable sensibilities. But this battle had been lost, quite absolutely.
