Smarty Pants

I don't like it when people explain things out of perspective to the audience. When somebody drops a lot of technical terms and new terminology without bothering to explain it, it's annoying. For instance, if I were to say that NPV is a better measure than using IRR in evaluating the value of an income producing property, many people would go... huh?

In the sitcom, Home Improvement, Tim Allen notes how guys feel all tough and important when they use technical terms that other people don't get. It's an ego trip. I know this, and you don't. Wahhh, I'm smart!

On the flipside, I don't like is when people purposely choose to be ignorant on certain essential life skills. This ranges from cooking, using a computer, personal finances, laundry, and so on. None of these things are really that hard to understand. It's usually just a matter of patience. Are you willing to read the manual, recipe book, excel tutorial?

In the words of Doc Brown, (Back to the Future), "If you put your mind to it, you can accomplish anything." I'm not a smart guy, but I'll read the manual. Where I lack in technical prowess, I make up for it in time and effort. There are resources everywhere. Ask somebody!

It's annoying when people try to break stereotypes by being useless. I've met girls who are proud of the fact that they can't cook. I've met Asian guys who are proud of being bad at math. Dude, the stereotypes that need breaking are NOT the ones that require skill.

Now don't get me wrong, there are divisions of labor and economies of scale to consider here. Not all people are good teachers or good students. Some people should stick to rocket science and some people should avoid it like the plague. I'm just saying the daily stuff should be learned by all. That's it!