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I am tonight, a man on a mission. I will be putting aside my modesty when I write this blog. Those thinking that I am blowing my own pipe will actually realize that they feel the same way deep inside. For tonight, I am angry-as-hell at a pathetic group of people hell bent on ruining a good vibe – The Pretenders (and to a lesser extent, The Wanna-be).

What ripped my facade of tolerance and fueled my rage today was a statement by a man of stunted intellectual abilities claiming that he has been an Iron Maiden fan since he was in the 6th grade. His favourite Maiden album being Brave New World which he claims to have bought in 7th grade. That would be in 1997-98. The album of course came out in 2000. As a Maiden fan and a serious music buff, I was shocked at this blasphemy. It is understandable that such a statement would be uttered to raise one’s position in a social circle. It is also inevitable that such statements will now be flying around since Maiden will be performing in Bangalore. We got into an argument when I revealed the true time of release of the said album. As expected, he lost his temper and I lost mine. My rage stemmed from the fact that every song that the bastard had in his computer came from my collection. His social networking site profile shows the name of every artist who’s song he has burned and taken from me. And he thinks he can argue with me on music?

This incident only serves as a starting point to my rant. There are people who claim to be big fans of serious films. Any attempt
at discussing any of the “admired” films reveal the shallow depths of their
understanding of the film and the searing heights of their illusions of
grandeur. The same goes for games. Idiots who claim that Half Life is boring because the graphics are dated. The same goes for books. Idiots who claim that they are fans of The Da Vinci Code and go around talking about Magdalene and The Priory like they’ve researched about it for years.

The main point that I am trying to discuss here is that these fermented remnants of bovine excreta don’t have a point of view of their own but keep peddling articles and reviews from other sources as if it’s their own ideas. I must point out that there are those who use the same said sources to enhance their understanding rather than define it. I see no harm in this form of growth. Everyone does that, you shape your ideas based on others’. But to claim that these ideas are your own is indecent and below human dignity. There are many who mock me for my tastes but secretly they
wish they had it. One develops a sense of identity by first assuming
others’ and then growing into their own (ofcourse there are the
counter-culturists, but again, they grow into their own identities as well).

When a wanna-be tries to up the ante on you, you get pissed. Not just because the credibility of his argument is suspect, or the fact that he will not accept his fault when all is revealed, but also because it is demeaning to your ego when a person of clearly inferior intellect tries to undermine yours. The target of a pretender’s verbal diarrhea is always the intellectual. By proving that he is superior to the intellectual, the pretender basks in the false sense of his superiority.

I was a pretender once. There isn’t anyone anywhere who hasn’t claimed to have done this or done that while he never has. But slowly, I grew older and a bit wiser. The lies and deceits that one creates around one-self to exude a false aura of superiority slowly begins to appear pointless and you realize your real worth and standing in the world, which mostly amounts to nothing. This is a humbling experience. Your ego hurts a bit. But finally you become comfortable with who you are, your beliefs, your tastes and your history.

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