Opinion

[lolotehe]

I hate 2010, but it's the only HAL clip I could find that wasn't Open the pod bay doors or I'm afraid.

Dan and I just had a fascinating conversation about tone of voice. When I listen to these scenes, I hear HAL being very confident and competent. Dan, on the other hand, hears someone being condescending and arrogant.

And, he tells me, I sometimes sound condescending and arrogant. I do not take offense at this, but find it interesting.

I'm going to admit now that I had a HUGE crush on Avon when I was in middle-school. I won't say for a moment that he wasn't arrogant, but he was intensely competent. Avon was good at what he did and he wasn't afraid to let everyone know.

I also had a strange crush on Blackadder for a while in high-school. I admired that cleverness.

With Jeeves, there was a fine layer of obsequiousness added. It was just icing on the cake.

That might also be why I was so happy when "House" came out. It was like Hugh Laurie's revenge on everyone.

I also had a strange crush on Claude Rains. He was arrogant, yes, but he had earned it. And we both agree that the Chevy Chase version is pretty good. (It actually gave a lot of thought to the idea.)

Anyway, what I'm getting at here is the competent\arrogant thing. Listen to each character in those clips. Is he an arrogant asshole? Does he know what he's doing? Is it both?

This is something I need to think about when I'm on the phone with clients. This is something I need to think about when I meet people for the first time.

Was Spock arrogant?

Was Sherlock?

Was Dr. Who? He was one of my role models growing up.

And really, if you woke up tomorrow and you were the smartest person around, you'd be kind of a dick too.

Comments

[trickykitty.livejournal.com]

That's like back in junior high and high school, if you were a shy person, others would see you as being a snob.

[theonetruetiny.livejournal.com]

AS we discussed last night, I think intent is the key factor. If you're the expert, and you're here to fix a problem, it's really more about competence. If you're here to let everyone know how awesome you are and how much they suck, it's arrogance.

[olive789.livejournal.com]

HAL seems amused when it is greeting the human. It doesn't explain it's tone within the scene, and it may be laughing at the human. It's too hard to say with just that clip. I don't see any display of competence in that clip. If I switch to the pod bay doors link, it sounds condescending as well as competent to me. (There was no reason to explain anything to the human except to pick up a chance to act arrogant.)

House and apparently Avon both openly mock others to a degree which would, in the real world, make it difficult for them to show competence. People just won't listen to / work with people like that. I'd say they are impossibly arrogant.

Sherlock is more believable, as he works closely with only one person, is less negative, and he makes up for unpleasantness with a passion that draws you in. He's still arrogant.

The competence of Jeeves is displayed in the clip, but I do wonder why someone that delicate is relied upon so heavily. He seems not arrogant, but mental.

Spock disapproves of human behavior slightly. Mostly he shows puzzlement and genuine interest. I don't think he's arrogant.

When I've been absolutely the smartest person in the room, it's been useless to take it out on the people in the room. It's up to me to know how to change rooms/situations.

I have not yet found you arrogant. I think you are a great story teller.

[lolotehe]

What I really wanted was HAL's quote "I am putting myself to the fullest possible use, which is all I think that any conscious entity can ever hope to do." The line seems so in line with my own philosophy.

Avon would have been shot on sight. House may have suffered the same fate in a different setting.

Danke for how you see me.

[prestidiginate.livejournal.com]

These days, people tend to think that anyone who speaks in complete sentences and doesn't bother to dumb down their language is speaking in a condescending. tone