Comments on: The Ten Evils (Part Five) http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2011/08/05/the-ten-evils-part-five/ Financial talk for the rest of us Sat, 16 Feb 2013 01:14:45 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.5.1 By: krisitne http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2011/08/05/the-ten-evils-part-five/#comment-954450 krisitne Sat, 06 Aug 2011 01:40:34 +0000 http://www.thesimpledollar.com/?p=7439#comment-954450 AnnJo- yes, our entire political public discourse is founded on contempt, not the exchange of ideas and empathy. Because it works in soundbites.

]]> By: John http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2011/08/05/the-ten-evils-part-five/#comment-954448 John Sat, 06 Aug 2011 01:15:02 +0000 http://www.thesimpledollar.com/?p=7439#comment-954448 Trent, have you considered that the opposite of contempt might be grace?

]]> By: AnnJo http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2011/08/05/the-ten-evils-part-five/#comment-954444 AnnJo Fri, 05 Aug 2011 22:45:16 +0000 http://www.thesimpledollar.com/?p=7439#comment-954444 “Contempt is a deep and negative character flaw that drives people away. It only attracts the small sliver of people who happen to agree with you.”

I wish this were true, but historically, contempt for “the other” is a major feature of demagogery and building political unity among one group by demonizing those who disagree with any part of it. It seems to attract a substantial following, as demonstrated by talk show hosts Matthews and Maddow on the left and Beck (I think, haven’t listened to him) and O’Reilly on the right.

]]> By: Johanna http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2011/08/05/the-ten-evils-part-five/#comment-954432 Johanna Fri, 05 Aug 2011 19:32:17 +0000 http://www.thesimpledollar.com/?p=7439#comment-954432 @Todd: Well, so does the declaration that “snarkiness has almost no value.” Coming immediately after the order to look for positive value in *everything*, that made me laugh.

]]> By: Todd http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2011/08/05/the-ten-evils-part-five/#comment-954430 Todd Fri, 05 Aug 2011 19:14:59 +0000 http://www.thesimpledollar.com/?p=7439#comment-954430 I’m sorry, but doesn’t the opening line of the discussion on conceit really reflect a form of contempt?

“Conceited people aren’t enjoyable to be around.”

]]> By: Lindsay http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2011/08/05/the-ten-evils-part-five/#comment-954428 Lindsay Fri, 05 Aug 2011 18:53:38 +0000 http://www.thesimpledollar.com/?p=7439#comment-954428 Jackowick – your comment is so refreshing to me. As someone who is a daily reader of this blog (but certainly not a daily commenter), I am quite over the negative comments on this site related to the writing. Granted, I do agree with folks that it would be nice if Trent responded to the comments, not because I think they are all deserving (and I certainly wouldn’t respond to the editorializing concepts if I were him), but because I think we would feel like, as readers, we are in a bit more of a dialogue with him. I think that’s one of the most valuable components of the blogosphere, and I’ve really enjoyed that on other sites.

That said, this hasn’t really been my favorite series; I mostly enjoy the more hands-on topics, but I do realize this blog isn’t all about me:-)

]]> By: Jackowick http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2011/08/05/the-ten-evils-part-five/#comment-954425 Jackowick Fri, 05 Aug 2011 17:22:57 +0000 http://www.thesimpledollar.com/?p=7439#comment-954425 This will be my last comment here for a while I think, because I’m really not liking the tone some of the people are taking, especially the armchair quarterbacking/editorialize on Trent. I’m not putting him on a pedestal, but instead of discussing the concepts, people are sniping and critiqueing and it’s distracting.

With that said, I think someone made a great point about these being both good and bad depending on the degree of moderation (or lack of). I’ve seen many occassions where “respect” is a way to shield “contempt”, not limited to liking a certain type of person to such a degree that you view non-members are inferior.

I’m going to give a specific example, this is not a generalization, so calm down:

I have an Italian friend who says they will only marry an Italian girl because “we’re great cooks”. Okay, there’s respect. Then the bombshell. “Never marry an English or Irish girl because they can’t cook for ****”. I kindly referred them to Nigela Lawson.

Respect. Contempt.

]]> By: valleycat1 http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2011/08/05/the-ten-evils-part-five/#comment-954421 valleycat1 Fri, 05 Aug 2011 16:22:42 +0000 http://www.thesimpledollar.com/?p=7439#comment-954421 #6 – I agree with Katie # #10. If he’s using a specific list (which, by the way, is in the book he links to, along with a bunch of other more positive lists, based on the TOC viewable at Amazon) then he ought to do better than a link to a specific book that may or may not be his actual source. He seems to be spending a lot of hot afternoons at the library, so it shouldn’t have been that big a deal to go back & confirm.

]]> By: Katie http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2011/08/05/the-ten-evils-part-five/#comment-954417 Katie Fri, 05 Aug 2011 15:38:27 +0000 http://www.thesimpledollar.com/?p=7439#comment-954417 Elizabeth, I disagree with that, actually. I think if you’re relying on a specific list of evils generated by another author, that’s using enough of their content that they should get credit for it. If Trent had formulated his own list based on seeing a list of evils somewhere else, that would maybe be general enough not to merit a citation to the original. As it is, it appears that Trent copied down the list but not where he got it from, which is sloppy.

]]> By: Katie http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2011/08/05/the-ten-evils-part-five/#comment-954416 Katie Fri, 05 Aug 2011 15:38:12 +0000 http://www.thesimpledollar.com/?p=7439#comment-954416 Elizabeth, I disagree with that, actually. I think if you’re relying on a specific list of evils generated by another author, that’s using enough of their content that they should get credit for it. If Trent had formulated his own list based on seeing a list of evils somewhere else, that would maybe be general enough not to merit a citation to the original.

]]> By: Alice http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2011/08/05/the-ten-evils-part-five/#comment-954415 Alice Fri, 05 Aug 2011 15:33:11 +0000 http://www.thesimpledollar.com/?p=7439#comment-954415 I know the illustrator for that second picture! Neat to see her art.

]]> By: Gretchen http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2011/08/05/the-ten-evils-part-five/#comment-954412 Gretchen Fri, 05 Aug 2011 15:29:06 +0000 http://www.thesimpledollar.com/?p=7439#comment-954412 None of these are bad in moderation!

Of course, most of the “opposites” aren’t what I consider the opposite, as others have pointed out.

]]> By: Nicole http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2011/08/05/the-ten-evils-part-five/#comment-954411 Nicole Fri, 05 Aug 2011 15:24:24 +0000 http://www.thesimpledollar.com/?p=7439#comment-954411 I thought the piece on Contempt was beautifully written and very insightful, Trent. I really appreciate the thought that went into your discussion on developing a respectful nature. A person gets much farther in this world armed with kindness and understanding. I find that when people try to de-value others with their negativity it is really a reflection of their own internal struggle with self esteem. People who genuinely feel good about themselves don’t treat others with contempt, disrespect, or negativity. It just doesn’t happen.

]]> By: Elizabeth http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2011/08/05/the-ten-evils-part-five/#comment-954410 Elizabeth Fri, 05 Aug 2011 15:05:52 +0000 http://www.thesimpledollar.com/?p=7439#comment-954410 Thanks for this, I’ve throughly enjoyed this series of articles. There’s a lot here to think about.

As to the criticism about a vague source, um… what does that have to do with the content? My understanding was Trent got the *idea* for this series from a book he was browsing. Fine. Which book doesn’t really matter, does it? He could have gotten the idea from something he read in Winnie the Pooh and the content would still be as valid.

And for what it’s worth, it’s the content of his article that I enjoyed.

Thanks again Trent.

]]> By: Riki http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2011/08/05/the-ten-evils-part-five/#comment-954409 Riki Fri, 05 Aug 2011 15:01:48 +0000 http://www.thesimpledollar.com/?p=7439#comment-954409 Humility isn’t about selling yourself short. If you don’t take pride in your own accomplishments, nobody will do it for you. Humble people can also be confident and proud of themselves, you know.

Advice given from an introvert, for sure.

]]> By: Vanessa http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2011/08/05/the-ten-evils-part-five/#comment-954407 Vanessa Fri, 05 Aug 2011 14:54:32 +0000 http://www.thesimpledollar.com/?p=7439#comment-954407 Humility is no better than conceit when taken to the extreme. If you downplay your accomplishments in front of others often enough, you start to believe it. I was raised to always be humble, never compliment myself, wait for others to speak well of me. Because of that, I struggle with resumes and job interviews because I don’t know how to sell myself, to show my true value to an employer. Not everyone is going to know you by reputation. Sometimes the only thing they have to go on is what you say about yourself. If you don’t have much to say, what kind of conclusion do you expect them to draw? This spills over into my dating life as well, as I’m always downplaying my looks and personality. Why would anyone find that attractive? A healthy dose of conceit would do me–and probably many others– a lot of good.

You don’t have to brag, but to tell people to make their achievements appear smaller than they are is not only bad advice, it’s lying since it’s not the truth.

]]> By: melissa http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2011/08/05/the-ten-evils-part-five/#comment-954406 melissa Fri, 05 Aug 2011 14:52:57 +0000 http://www.thesimpledollar.com/?p=7439#comment-954406 Hi Trent,
I think this is your best post ever. Thank you! I was wondering your opinion on conceit, because all of the advice to be competitive in this economy is to sell yourself and your accomplishments. Also, I am young but have a lot of experience for my age. When people see me, they immediately think I’m an intern or secretary. How do I let them know I know what I’m doing without saying, Hi, my name is Melissa and I graduated from MIT? I’m working on the advice you gave in this article to garner intuitive respect, but alot of times other people are coming from different places.

Thanks!
melissa

]]> By: valleycat1 http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2011/08/05/the-ten-evils-part-five/#comment-954405 valleycat1 Fri, 05 Aug 2011 14:45:27 +0000 http://www.thesimpledollar.com/?p=7439#comment-954405 Unfortunately, Steven, Trent doesn’t seem to even read, forget heed, any comments posted to his articles. So the constructive part is only to the benefit of his readers who actually DO read the comments. [FYI, I had tried a sample of the Kindle version of the blog, but it doesn't include the comments or any option to add a comment.]

]]> By: Steven http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2011/08/05/the-ten-evils-part-five/#comment-954403 Steven Fri, 05 Aug 2011 14:38:12 +0000 http://www.thesimpledollar.com/?p=7439#comment-954403 What might be seen/interpreted as contempt by some may simply be considered constructive criticism by others. I don’t believe that pointing out the flaws or failings in others necessarily has anything to do with whether or not we respect the person or not. Actually, I’d argue that if we’re taking the time to point these things out, then obviously there’s enough interest in seeing that person/thing/project become better. Someone who felt real contempt towards something wouldn’t care enough to bother pointing out the problems, and would prefer to see whatever it is they hold in contempt fail miserably. Just become someone is pointing out the “negative” doesn’t mean the don’t respect you or what you’re doing.

]]> By: Allie http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2011/08/05/the-ten-evils-part-five/#comment-954402 Allie Fri, 05 Aug 2011 14:10:16 +0000 http://www.thesimpledollar.com/?p=7439#comment-954402 Trent, if this was so important and striking to you, why couldn’t you have gone back to the library to be certain of what book you saw it in, instead of just giving a vague “I believe it was” and possibly being wrong? For a one-shot article, being vague about your source might have been okay, but for a week-long feature – half of your content for an entire week – not being sure of your source/inspiration is pretty inexcuseable.

More and more lately, stuff like this has been making “contempt for the writer of the article” feel a lot more justifiable.

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