A Snob or Just Aspiring?

An interesting conversation took place the other day. I’m sitting around with some people, and in between the usual banter about the holidays, friends and family, the subject of books and the current state of reading came up. (I know what some of you are thinking; “Only Peter could find himself in a conversation like this around the holidays.”) Now, you would think that this would be a pretty harmless discussion that most people would find some common ground on – and for the most part it was. Most of the participants in the discussion thought back to what they read when they were younger as opposed to what kids read today and we all agreed that today’s reading lists are (to say the least) a little lacking. And after a few more lines of this agreeableness, I opined that, understanding I’m a snob about these things, I consider it a good day if I can re-direct someone from the usual Stephen King or JK Rowling crap, towards something a little more mind expanding like Philip Roth or Cormac McCarthy.

After briefly giving my opinion on the latest works I had read from these two distinguished novelists (Roth’s American Pastoral and McCarthy’s Blood Meridian), I even got subtle, agreeable head-nods from some of the evening’s participants. However, there was one participant (who will never be convicted of having an open mind) who immediately chimed in and said, “You’re a snob about a lot of things, Peter.” I smiled and half-heartedly agreed so as not to poison the evening, but the more I thought about it on the way home the more I said to myself, “Is this the state of current middle-class American culture?” I mean, if one is considered a snob just because he/she aspires to open the mind to a greater literary story or more powerful music, then we indeed have lost our way.

Now being the cagey guy I am, I immediately assumed that this person used the word ‘snob’ incorrectly, however inadvertently, so I looked it up. The second definition is as follows from “dictionary.com”: a person who believes himself or herself an expert or connoisseur in a given field and is condescending toward or disdainful of those who hold other opinions or have different tastes regarding this field: a musical snob. I’m guessing this is the meaning that was intended towards me. Now, ignoring the fact that I believe this is grossly inaccurate when describing me, I know what the speaker was getting at. While never trying to be “condescending toward or disdainful” of someone’s opinions, I do believe there are some things that are better than others and that we enrich our lives when we open ourselves to them. And authors like the ones I mentioned above, as well as Shakespeare and Dante, and composers like Beethoven and Bach are just the things that one should open his/her mind to.

Don’t get me wrong; anyone who knows me knows that I like science fiction and pop music as much as the next guy. But if you’re open to it and take the time to read a novel like American Pastoral or Blood Meridian, your life will forever be changed.