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the word most people use is 'snob'.

rhizome 10y ago
I contend that a snob is a person who has an articulable reason why they don't like something. Hopefully this isn't too obscure of a reference, but for example I don't like Primus not because they suck, but because I don't like the drummer's snare sound. This makes me a snob about Primus' music.
- abtinf 10y ago
  Your view runs counter to the dictionary definition of snob, which includes a strong negative connotation: 1. a person who imitates, cultivates, or slavishly admires social superiors and is condescending or overbearing to others. 2. 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. In the first case, a snob substitutes the views of the social elite for his own judgement. In the second case, a snob declares himself a member of the social elite because he holds different views. In both cases, what makes the person a snob is that they are not judging the material qua the material; indeed they are not concerned with the material at all. Instead, they are concerned with social advantage. I'm not sure there is a word for someone who judges a subject based on the merits. An enthusiast?
  - rhizome 10y ago
    Your view runs counter to the dictionary definition of snob I'm fine with that. If you want to make "elites" a foundation for a definition, you might as well just roll both of those up into "bourgeois," thought #2 is arguably more "asshole." For me, an enthusiast might be someone who finds reasons to be into something (the opposite of my def of snob), but I don't think there's a word for simply liking stuff that is good. "Not completely depressed," perhaps.
afarrell 10y ago
I submit that a 'snob' is someone who holds contempt for someone who is not knowledgable in their area of interest. A 'geek' is someone who is excited to teach others about their area of interest.

I contend that a snob is a person who has an articulable reason why they don't like something. Hopefully this isn't too obscure of a reference, but for example I don't like Primus not because they suck, but because I don't like the drummer's snare sound. This makes me a snob about Primus' music.

abtinf 10y ago
Your view runs counter to the dictionary definition of snob, which includes a strong negative connotation: 1. a person who imitates, cultivates, or slavishly admires social superiors and is condescending or overbearing to others. 2. 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. In the first case, a snob substitutes the views of the social elite for his own judgement. In the second case, a snob declares himself a member of the social elite because he holds different views. In both cases, what makes the person a snob is that they are not judging the material qua the material; indeed they are not concerned with the material at all. Instead, they are concerned with social advantage. I'm not sure there is a word for someone who judges a subject based on the merits. An enthusiast?
- rhizome 10y ago
  Your view runs counter to the dictionary definition of snob I'm fine with that. If you want to make "elites" a foundation for a definition, you might as well just roll both of those up into "bourgeois," thought #2 is arguably more "asshole." For me, an enthusiast might be someone who finds reasons to be into something (the opposite of my def of snob), but I don't think there's a word for simply liking stuff that is good. "Not completely depressed," perhaps.

afarrell 10y ago

I submit that a 'snob' is someone who holds contempt for someone who is not knowledgable in their area of interest. A 'geek' is someone who is excited to teach others about their area of interest.