What Is A Good Snob?

… The Bad & The Ugly

Let’s get the bad part out of the way first - the elephant in the room - this site is dedicated to the confessions and predalictions of a self-identifying SNOB. I’ll put some lipstick on the pig in a moment, but let’s be painstakingly clear on the pig’s characteristics, it’s hue, unsightly rolls, warts, stench, grotesque blissfulness, and all.

The Snob thinks he’s ahead of the game, that he’s got his finger on something that the masses are painfully oblivious to. And yes, it’s painful for the Snob to see so many be so unaware of “the good stuff”. That’s the stuff which really hits the spot, it’s the juiciest grapes from the vine, the best ways to spend one’s time, the things touching the essence of existence. If that sounds like obtuse nonsense, it’s probably because you wouldn’t get it anyways. This self-cultivated sense of high enlightment is what’s behind the Snob’s swagger. He sees himselfs as hunting for truffles in the woods while the rest slop up leftovers from the trough. “Don’t they smell that rich sweetness eminating from the forest?” he momentarily bemoans, then chuckles as he wrinkles his soily snout.

Google-imaging “snob” returns a mosaic replete with bow-ties, up-turned noses, and grimaces of condescension and disgust. These depictions reflect the Snob’s belief that his evolved taste makes lesser experiences unpalatable. For the Snob has tasted from the best, so the rest can no longer do. Think about a time your friend said, “I know, I’m such a ———— snob”, and how their voice wavered with a slight shame-tinged sheepishness. That wavering was them saying: “Don’t hate on me; don’t go thinking that I think I’m somehow better than you… And besides, aren’t I allowed to be a Snob about just this one thing?”

So the Snob has an air of superiority and a detestation for the “subpar”. But here’s the truly repulsive part of the Snob: Snobs cannot help themselves but gatekeep. It’s not putridly arrogant enough that the Snob thinks he gets the better slice of life than you do - no, no - it’s seemingly incumbent on the Snob to make others feel like they couldn’t possibly appreciate his preferences. Snobs have divorced themselves from the process by which they developed their keen taste to such a degree that they have convinced themselves that you couldn’t appreciate their preferences even if you tried.

The Good…

Well that’s where I draw the line. I’ll own up to having too much pride in my personal preferences, sure. But I am committed to meshing my unsightly snobbery with an attractive, positive ethos. So let’s start with the Snob’s predaliction for gatekeeping: The Good Snob knows that his tastes neither make him special, nor come from some divine bounty. They are instead the product of an effortful open-mindedness and pursuit of new experiences. It would be hypocritical to stifle those things in others. Instead, the Good Snob wants to share and be challenged, he welcomes varying opinions, wants all tastes to be respected, and he wants others to feel safe to experiment with new things.

I remember offering a guest a pour from an expensive bottle of whiskey. “Oh no, no thanks”, the guest said, “that would be a waste, I wouldn’t appreciate it - I don’t know much about whiskey.” It angered me that someone - some Snob or cabal of Snobs out there - had convinced my friend that they didn’t know what they liked or didn’t. It was preposterous that someone could have made up their mind about something without having even tried it because they were convinced to distrust their own instincts. It actually infuraties me to recount this exchange (an approximation of many I have had), but it’s a good starting point. I too don’t know much about whiskey (or wine, or caviar, or cinematography for that matter), but I know how to approach experiences openly, listening to myself as I evaluate them.

The Good Snob also respects context and intent, particularly in art. Not every album is trying to be The Dark Side Of The Moon or Nevermind, not every film a Kubrick or Godard. The late great Roger Ebert helped popularize film criticism by not only having great taste, wit, and writing, but also by judging films against their own aspirations - “you have to give the movie its day in court”. I’ve had me some truffled-up, brioche-bunned, grassfed Wagyu burgers, but I’ll still swear by a double-double from In ‘N Out. That’s because at 10 cents shy of $5, the double-double does everything and more than it’s supposed to. (The jury remains out on the Instagrammed burgers requiring a mortgage for consumption.)

Then to be a Good Snob is to be proud of one’s taste, all the while boldly keening one’s eye to quality, welcoming others into the experience, and judging fairly based on execution.

What to expect

This space will be a diary of sorts, tracking my adventures in Snobbery by way of art, travel, and the art of navigating our ever strange, modern world. Expect regular updates on what media I’ve been experimenting with (Music | TV/Film | Writing), guides on how to get into new things, and lighthearted rants about situations where I think injecting a healthy bit of snobbery would probably do us all some good. Record collecting and concert going are my top hobbies, so expect a lot to be posted in that space.

One of my favorite acts as a Good Snob is the Music Night parties I host with my wife. These Nights are a fun expression of our love for music, art, and people - I devise a themed 3-hour DJ set, and spin the music live using only our vinyl record collection (coming up on 1,100 records). Topping it off is a unique program designed for each event, introducing the artists and songs, and telling the story of the Night. The six Music Nights we’ve thrown are already featured on this site, and there are many more to come…

Happy discovering!

-The Good Snob