As I said: Half the time I agree with you, and it's pretense for the sake of pretense. The rest of the time - more often, in fact, in my age group - it's people

As I said: Half the time I agree with you, and it's pretense for the sake of pretense. The rest of the time - more often, in fact, in my age group - it's people who just know big words and use them like it's part of their vocabulary. Hell, I'm guilty of the same thing, to a lesser degree. I speak the way I type, occasional digressions into grander vocabulary and all, and I'm frequently asked why I use such large words. Personally, I don't think words like "digression", "voluptuous" (a personal favorite), and "grandiose" are that difficult, but other people disagree, and I've been called an artsy-fart more than once. It's the same reason you hang beautiful pictures on your wall. Sure it's for your own pleasure, but it's also for the pleasure of seeing others appreciate your taste. I'm going to have to disagree and defend the honest artist here. As a purveyor of beautiful things myself, I can say that I don't care about other people's opinions of my taste. However, I still do seek out said beautiful things, entirely for myself. I spent this weekend buying diningware and silverware, and if I hadn't been looking for stuff I really connected with I could have left the store a hundred dollars richer. As it is, I care much more about having an emotive connection with the things I own and see and use than I do about saving money, which I know sounds like bullshit but is a philosophy I still agree with.