I am a snob. So what?

Although they do not fight their battles in the mud and before a mass audience, their influence on culture and lifestyle is at least welcome

Written by: Sandra Babić

In the 1960s, a considerable number of young Earthlings tucked a daisy flower behind their ears, let their hair down, and set off to fight for a better world. Their intention was to dethrone elitists and aristocrats, establishing a reign of free love and peace. And they succeeded. Rock’n’roll ceased to be perceived as a transmitter of satanic messages, taboos became subjects of public discussion, and living according to fundamental human values replaced living according to imposed, completely unnecessary social norms. The hippie culture truly marked a turning point in human history, and it seemed that things would roll just as they should. However, things are changing.    

Unified muff
Perhaps the level of change could best be illustrated by the statement of director Ang Lee, who during the filming of the famous Woodstock encountered the impossibility of finding the right muff, the kind worn by unruly hippie girls. Nature was replaced by synthetics, and such multiplication of the same style on women’s groins became a symbol of much worse things – mass production of unified content, from food to art. Hippies, today’s ‘baby boomers’ are likely appalled by this mass culture that neither changes nor inspires, but is there to be chewed and digested like some burnt toast on a spoiled stomach. Of course, they are not the only ones who would express their rebellion against the reign of quasi-celebrities and reality shows, as their historical rivals – the snobs – come to their aid.

Multilayered snobbery
Although they do not fight their battles in the mud and before a mass audience, their influence on culture and lifestyle is at least welcome. And since some might raise an eyebrow at this thesis, it would be worth untangling the definitions of snobs, grappling with categories and subcategories of snobbery. Namely, to be a snob in principle means to be someone who considers themselves, their knowledge, or their status superior, and according to what is written in books, one can become such by birth, due to life circumstances, but also through education. Some snobs transform their superiority into intolerance, others into unfounded arrogance, while there are those whose snobbery can truly be constructive for both members of elite circles and for completely ordinary people, and as such does not have to carry entirely negative connotations. However, such individuals are a completely endangered species, and their place in the perception of the average Croat has been replaced by the snobbery of Ante Gotovac, Željko Kerum, or Silvio Berlusconi, who only associate the term with their imagined superiority, rather than elegance or knowledge, which should be the fundamental characteristics.

Snobbery as a reference
However, besides such quasi and destructive snobs, there are those who can truly change the world with ease and certainly leave a mark on popular culture and in the media. For instance, recently, ‘blogging’ in the beauty industry has been gaining strength, and to attract users so that they click on their name among countless others, amateurs and critics have attached the word ‘snob’ to their names. It has simply begun to be taken for granted that a ‘beauty snob’, ‘bagsnob’, or ‘blacksnob’ knows more about the field than the competition, and whether they might be pretentious or arrogant does not matter, at least something can be learned from them. 

With this logic, it is easy to delineate quasi from true snobbery, even among local stylists who carry a snobbish aura, as a Fashion Cat who criticizes Kronplatz or some other ski resort in his fur hat, claiming it is supposedly full of loud Croats, can easily be outdone by a Nenad Korkut, a doctor by profession, who will know at midnight which issue of French Vogue featured an editorial where a model wore a jacket by Karl Lagerfeld, and then tell a short story about its creation.

Exclusive content
A true snob would be appalled by the fact that a Coelho’s ‘The Alchemist’ or Dan Brown’s ‘The Da Vinci Code’ sells in millions of copies, leaving no room for any justifications, but would readily rattle off a dozen unjustly neglected literary works that deserved fame before those mentioned. True specimens learn Italian to read the original Dante, understand molecular gastronomy, and at no moment forget to indulge their senses and enrich their small universe that makes them special, and ultimately superior. Although it is a significantly smaller group compared to the rest of society, ‘content producers’ are aware of their consumer potential, and the offer is partially adjusted to their desire to be exclusive. For example, Lacoste once released a line with an almost invisible crocodile, their trademark, intended for primal snobs who find Lacoste not good enough if worn by the ordinary folk who have come into money.

Critical stance
Pioneers of snobbish publications like Vanity Fair or The New Yorker have paved the way for other publishers who have started releasing colorful magazines with deep content that snobs would keep next to the toilet bowl. Besides the entrepreneurial potential that snobbish culture opens up, their influence on society as a whole will only strengthen over time. The more individuals strive to ascend the social ladder to the manner of Victorian gentlemen, the greater the chance for the commercialization of smart things. Snobs, in fact, have more power than intellectuals vulgaris, precisely because of their exclusivity, more radical commitments, and even a certain intolerance towards dissenters. Pretentiousness and arrogance make them less perceptive and more ready to fiercely defend their lifestyle or beliefs. Although their views can indeed sometimes be irritating, the good thing is that they encourage their interlocutors to think critically.

More precisely, their flaw is the absence of dialogue; they express their views through mere competition, but again, the good side of the story is that entering the ring with a full-blooded snob implies arguing with references. Without a reference, there is no victory. Although examples of constructive snobs are very rare, it is good to surround yourself with them because if nothing else, you can be sure that they will do everything in their power to ‘stuff’ you with content that has weight. The kind that is digested like ‘pâté de foie gras’, not ‘fast food’.