I see “Blake” in the list and my first thought is “Blake Lively”

I’m sorry do we have medieval Italian political satirists on the table for basic conversion? the crazy thing is, I’ve read books by all the individuals mentioned, and most of it is very old, and very specific to it’s time, and largely entertainment. this is like someone 500 years from now saying they can’t hold a conversation with someone if they don’t have a deep familiaity with the deeper meanings of The Simpsons and Family Guy and how they impacted society.

Meanwhile, I imagine the actual historians and scholars who study and teach of the classical world professionally rarely feel the need to drop lists like this.

Surely at least one of these people created something about not being a pretentious asshole?

I’m pretty sure this guy learned nothing from them.

Bare minimum to enjoy a beer around a campfire: ACDC, Rolling Stones, Lynyrd Skynyrd, White Stripes, Dire Straits, Genesis, Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, Kenny Loggings, Gorillaz, Jefferson Airplane, The Animals, Bon Jovi, R.E.M, Bonnie Tyler, Eminem, 50, System of a Down, Rage against the Machine, Rob Zombie, Nirvana, Papa Roach, Tenacious D, Dorothy, Floggin Molly, The Subways, Bush, Disturbed, Wolfmother, Guns and Roses, Scorpions, ZZ Top, Armand van Helden, Die Antwoord, Billy Idol, Fleetwood Mac, Ram Jam, Eagels of Death Metal, deadmau5, Foreigner, Daniel Norgen, The Weekend, Cari Cari, Shakira, Cher, Gaga, Rihanna, Michael, Prince

[citation needed]

Intelligence is hot, arrogance is not

Hopefully in 10 years, he will read this and cringe, although it sounds like he’s actively driving away people who think differently and would call him out on his bullshit to help him grow as a person, so maybe not.

You wrote Cellini twice, idiot.

I don’t care what you focus on, as a person.

But if your entire identity is wrapped up in your career subject or an exceedingly narrow slice of reality or a stereotypical commonality that even comedians joke about, imma gonna judge you something bad.

It is vitally important to be well-experienced, to have encountered variety and complexity in one form or another. To have travelled and meant people all over, or taken up hobbies that are hilariously distant from your daily grind, or to have plumbed the depths of literature, or any number of horizon-broadening activities.

Even something as simple as taking up handyman duties around the house, instead of calling companies to handle exceedingly basic tasks, is an improvement.

I meet none of those criteria and I actually wish that would stop these people from talking at me.

Dude looked up “famous old authors” and started listing his search results.

A great example of someone that can’t have a conversation is someone that thinks those are deciding factors.

Hegel is too mainstream for this one, straight to fucking Holderin.

Imagine doing this with any field other than humanities and you’ll see how ridiculous it is.

Like are you talking to a cohort in your weirdo western canon circlejerk college program? Because otherwise you might have to be flexible about the where the conversation goes. And then you might actually learn something rather than just do keyword association bingo to “impress” your conversation partner with your incredible knowledge.

Every woman she knows with a degree dated/met the same guy? Small world.