I wouldn't be me if I didn't live this...

Wednesday, October 12, 2005

Question: Flattering or Offensive?

[Scene: A classroom. The desks are arranged in a U around the blackboard. There are approximately fifteen students talking among themselves. The lecturer has not come in yet. He has asked the students to come to a consensus towards the date of the coming midterm, so there is a lot of talk in the class. The far arm of the U has around five or six Indian students, the curve has around four Chinese students, and the rest of the population is concentrated in the arm of the U closest to the door. I come in and take a chair right here. I open my notes so I can revise what he did the last lecture. Meanwhile, since my brain can understand Hindi better than Chinese, I overhear the following conversation (the latter part of which seems to be playing loud enough for me to actually hear it).]

Girl1: What date do you think is best for the test?

Girl2: I don't know, un ladkonko pooche? (I don't know, should we confer with those boys there?) [She's referring to the three boys sitting next to them.]

[So my attention goes on to their talk. The boys give some date around the first or second week of November. The girls say, that's too far off, he wanted to give it to us next week. The portion for the test will be greater, the more we postpone. The conversation continues, then the girls get back to their girly talk and this is what I hear from the Indian Males.]

Boy Who Is Taking His First Class With Me And Is In His First Semester At My School (B1): [pointing towards me] Arre, usko pooche kya? (Shall we ask her?)

Boy Who Has Known Me A Year (B2): [Looking towards me, slightly apprehensively] No, no... mad or what? You don't know her.

B1: Why? What's the matter?

B2: [still horrified] She'll ask him to give the test today itself! [That's not true, ok, I really wasn't that prepared today.]

B1: [Shrugging, and throwing a contemptuous glance at me] Woh itni bhi smart nahi hai! (She's not that smart!)

B2: [Slightly reassured, but still panicky at the thought that I might want the test today if asked] Hmmm...

[And then the professor walked in.]

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Now, answer this: Should I feel flattered that I scare the hell out of the guy who knows me because he thinks I have larger brains than I actually do, or should I be offended that the other guy thinks I have no brains??

I have to admit, I was a little shocked initially, not about the content or subject of their conversation but about the fact that they talked loud enough for all to hear :) especially me. But then class started, and I had a really good conversation about my research with the instructor after class and then I went off to work and then I had a really brisk walk home in lovely misty weather, and it was only when I switched on my PC that I realized that I had intended to blog about this. So apparently, all that this conversation was made for, was good post material. Which means that apparently I don't care enough about either of them for their comments to have either flattered or offended me. Wow. Must be growing up a bit.

2 Comments:

  • What you felt - flattered or offended - might largely depend upon your opinion of yourself and your opinion of M/s B1 and B2. Most smart people are really amused when someone calls them dumb. Most dumb people are offended. You also give some credence to the opinion of people you have a decent opinion of. If you thought B & B were idiots, you wouldn't really be offended by anything that they thought.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at Thursday, October 13, 2005 7:21:00 PM  

  • Well, to be really honest, I don't know B&B enough to be sure they are idiots :) or otherwise... but nevertheless I was neither flattered nor offended by their opinion of me. I do remember thinking it is fun to overhear what people say about oneself, but pretty soon got to thinking about something else and then didn't remember about this incident till the evening when I thought of blogging.

    By Blogger Summer Showers, at Friday, October 14, 2005 12:34:00 AM  

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