Are you a snob?

BobM

BobM

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I saw this question asked on another forum and thought it would be an enjoyable topic here.

- Are you a music snob?

- Are you an audio equipment snob?

- Are you a wine, watch, beer, car, boat, bike, etc. snob?

Before you answer this topic I have to pose the question "What's the difference between a "snob" and someone who just buys and enjoys a quality product (by whatever definition of quality works for you)?"
 
I guess for me, I'm a Beer Snob. Don't even bother offering me a Coors Light or anything from Miller, Bud, or the other mass producers.

I gave a neighbor a nice bottle of Chimay Blue Label for watching the house while on vacation. When I asked how they enjoyed it, they said it was too strong and they mixed it with Yuengling Lager. Last good beer he got. Same guy has a Beermiester, but always with Coors Light. He used to tell me to fill a pitcher whenever I wanted. No thanks, I will just drink water.

I can't afford the Big Boy Gear yet so I am not yet an Audio Gear Snob :)
 
Audio snob? Yes.
IT snob? Probably.
Booze snob? Yes.

It doesn't help that everybody pries and prods me for info on all three of those categories... But hey, I am willing to take that title because it is what I enjoy and appreciate. I've turned amateurs into experts, and experts into "snobs" - and they are happier for it.
 
To me, a snob is somebody that looks down on somebody that is different that you are. As in you are "better" than them. And it could be material things, or opinions.

In audio, I find more snobs that have put together an inexpensive (less than $5,000) system and think they are better than somebody that has spent a hundred thousand dollars on a system. But there are definitely the normal snobs as in somebody that thinks their $100,000 turntable make them better than the rest of us. :)

In music, much the same, although I'm not sure you get too many "top 40" snobs, compared to the Jazz or Clasical snobs.
 
A snob is someone who only respects the high priced, more recognized brands of X (fill in the blank) and does not have any respect for the lower priced, less recognized products.

Definitely not a music snob. I would assume that would be someone who only listens to classical music and thinks everything else is rubbish? I'm just guessing as I have no idea what that is.

I don't consider myself an audio snob as I seek out the best sounding gear - regardless of brand recognition or price (i.e. selling Alexia's for Spatials!)....if anything, I'm starting to lean the other way and have paired down my system quite a bit. $100,000+ speakers need to blow me away.

Definitely not a wine, watch, beer, car, boat, bike snob. Actually, all of these make me laugh. I only buy wine that costs less than $15. I have a $50 watch (maybe it wasn't even that much)....I think it's a seiko I got from BJ's. I don't drink much beer anymore (I love beer, beer doesn't love me). I drive a Hyundai. I would never own a boat (too cheap to spend $300 on gas to drive around and all the other monthly costs). My bike was on sale for $99 at Costco.
 
Backpedaling a bit, I don't think I am better than the next guy because of the beers I like, I just have better taste and have been exposed to more options :)

The other day, my wife was going to hang out at a pool with a friend, who does not drink much, and wanted to get Corona Light. How much lighter can a Corona get? It's half plain water to start with.
 
Shadowfax said:
Backpedaling a bit, I don't think I am better than the next guy because of the beers I like, I just have better taste and have been exposed to more options :)

The other day, my wife was going to hang out at a pool with a friend, who does not drink much, and wanted to get Corona Light. How much lighter can a Corona get? It's half plain water to start with.
Click to expand...

That is why the lime slice is mandatory. Plus it is vitamin C.
 
the professor said:
To me, a snob is somebody that looks down on somebody that is different that you are. As in you are "better" than them. And it could be material things, or opinions.
Click to expand...

Or is it possible that the label of "snob" is something imposed by those poor souls who can't afford and can't appreciate the value of better, more expensive things?

Personally I think it could go both ways - those with attitude who talk down anything but the best, and those with attitude who like putting down the wealthy.

I have met plenty of wealthy people who are happy to drink a Bud at a BBQ, if that's all there is, but who will happily share their Belgian Ale's with you when you come to their home.
 
+1 ^^

I have had it both ways also. As for the Bud, if it was the ONLY thing to drink, I might. But then I would also be busting out the Belgians and Micros at my house.
 
Bob has a closer definition... I don't consider a snob as someone who belittles or thinks he is superior to another person in the given realm. There's other terms for that. Snob has taken a more laid back meaning in recent years, methinks.
 
I never look down on others for their opinions. Though I think I am likely a gear, beer, wine and scotch snob. Not that I think lessor is bad, just that once you hear or taste the good stuff, it really ruins you for the basic stuff. Just my experience...
 
I always considered everyone pretty darn equal, not superior like snobs want you be believe. But I do enjoy my Belgian Ales and local homemade beers, 60's muscle cars, my Nikon camera equipment, good ribs and smoked brisket, old guitars, golf and flyfishing. Audiophile equipment, I've met a few snobs who brag about how much their stuff cost and anything at a lower cost "just doesn't hold up in their circle", but the way I looked at it, they grow up sooner or later or they end up being really lonely snobs.
 
I like Jock's definition.

As opposed to "snob" I stick with "geek". I'm an audio gear geek, becoming more of a wine geek, definitely a lawn geek, cycling geek, recovering technology geek. Grew out of being a car geek.

My wife tells others I'm now a wine snob, but my knowledge of wines is embrionic. Life is too short to drink wine I don't like. I'm always looking for the less than $20 bottle that is a knock-out, but will occasionally spend $100 if its a wine I love and hard to get. I enjoy sharing those bottles with others who enjoy wine. Slowly building up a cellar. For me, music and wine are the perfect end to a challenging day.

And besides enjoying music and wine, I take great pleasure when we entertain someone unfamiliar with high-end audio. I pour them a nice glass of wine, invite them to the music room, then watch as a smile creeps across their face when I share the joy of vinyl.
 
the professor said:
To me, a snob is somebody that looks down on somebody that is different that you are. As in you are "better" than them. And it could be material things, or opinions.

In audio, I find more snobs that have put together an inexpensive (less than $5,000) system and think they are better than somebody that has spent a hundred thousand dollars on a system. But there are definitely the normal snobs as in somebody that thinks their $100,000 turntable make them better than the rest of us. :)

In music, much the same, although I'm not sure you get too many "top 40" snobs, compared to the Jazz or Clasical snobs.
Click to expand...

It's called Envy

BobM said:
Or is it possible that the label of "snob" is something imposed by those poor souls who can't afford and can't appreciate the value of better, more expensive things?

Personally I think it could go both ways - those with attitude who talk down anything but the best, and those with attitude who like putting down the wealthy.

I have met plenty of wealthy people who are happy to drink a Bud at a BBQ, if that's all there is, but who will happily share their Belgian Ale's with you when you come to their home.
Click to expand...

A snobbish attitude works on any echelon of our society.
{There are poor and rich uneducated people; we cannot blame them for their teachers, or superficial life's aspirations.}
 
Let's not try to redefine the term out of fear of speaking truth to power. Thanks for posting those definitions Bob.
I'm about as far from it as you can get, but run into them on almost a daily basis.
I'm not a snob about anything because I can't afford to be, first of all. I'm also just not wired to it.
I've walked into a "Audiophile" club meeting/event once and it was Snobs-R-Us. (I thought it was an audio enthusiast type thing, not a snobbery contest. Snobbery tends to permeate the audio/music world from both ends for some reason. I've seen dumpster divers get real snobby too. However, only here and through here have I met some good non-snobs of audio as well. In fact, there are those here who even try to help boost some of us little goldfish like myself in many ways to allow us to swim around in the tank here with the bigger fish. That way we can all learn things and get broader minded.
It's really not about how much money one has or how expensive their gear is or their taste in music. It's attitude, plain and simple. If one is a millionaire or something, that's fine. What really matters is how they got there and what they do with it and their interaction with people from all walks. If one has the funds to have a $100k system or two then go for it. Even tell everyone about it in a happy inclusive way, not a damn thing wrong with that. It only goes wrong when you tell others who don't have the same gear or can not afford to spend as much that they don't have the right to listen to music or that they are stupid somehow, etc. That's the thing that drives me so angry when I run into it. To put down someone for the gear they have and make them feel like they should not be enjoying what they have is a crime against humanity as far as I'm concerned. I've felt like that a number of times.
What right do any of us have to say such mean things to anyone in this hobby or outside of it? We all have our likes and dislikes, but those do not make us emperor or lord and master over others. They just make us individuals all equal in the eyes of music and pretty much anything else.
 
Beer is beer.

Chimay, Duvel, Budweiser, Heinekin, Becks, Miller, etc., they just taste different.

One is no better than another than one Life-Saver candy flavor is better than another.

Wine is another matter.
 
GaryProtein said:
Beer is beer.

Chimay, Duvel, Budweiser, Heinekin, Becks, Miller, etc., they just taste different.

One is no better than another than one Life-Saver candy flavor is better than another.

Wine is another matter.
Click to expand...

My preference is wine over beer on most occasions (a hot afternoon after physical work when I'm thirsty is the exception.) But, when I drink beer, Bud, Coors, Miller Lite etc just doesn't cut it. I do much prefer fine wine, audio gear, music, autos, etc. Call me a snob, but I don't normally express my opinion relative to other people's choices.
 
MusicDirector said:
Let's not try to redefine the term out of fear of speaking truth to power. Thanks for posting those definitions Bob.
I'm about as far from it as you can get, but run into them on almost a daily basis.
I'm not a snob about anything because I can't afford to be, first of all. I'm also just not wired to it.
I've walked into a "Audiophile" club meeting/event once and it was Snobs-R-Us. (I thought it was an audio enthusiast type thing, not a snobbery contest. Snobbery tends to permeate the audio/music world from both ends for some reason. I've seen dumpster divers get real snobby too. However, only here and through here have I met some good non-snobs of audio as well. In fact, there are those here who even try to help boost some of us little goldfish like myself in many ways to allow us to swim around in the tank here with the bigger fish. That way we can all learn things and get broader minded.
It's really not about how much money one has or how expensive their gear is or their taste in music. It's attitude, plain and simple. If one is a millionaire or something, that's fine. What really matters is how they got there and what they do with it and their interaction with people from all walks. If one has the funds to have a $100k system or two then go for it. Even tell everyone about it in a happy inclusive way, not a damn thing wrong with that. It only goes wrong when you tell others who don't have the same gear or can not afford to spend as much that they don't have the right to listen to music or that they are stupid somehow, etc. That's the thing that drives me so angry when I run into it. To put down someone for the gear they have and make them feel like they should not be enjoying what they have is a crime against humanity as far as I'm concerned. I've felt like that a number of times.
What right do any of us have to say such mean things to anyone in this hobby or outside of it? We all have our likes and dislikes, but those do not make us emperor or lord and master over others. They just make us individuals all equal in the eyes of music and pretty much anything else.
Click to expand...

Well said! ;-)
 
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